Conflicting Adoration
by ChickFlick004
Summary: It's summer vacation before the start of Hermione's 7th year. Ron has invited Harry and her to the Burrow for the last two weeks to meet someone special. Hermione is flustered as she finds herself thinking even more of him... [Hr-?, H-G, F-OC]
1. The Invitation

Conflicting Adoration

Hermione sat quietly in the fading afternoon sun, wishing time would hurry up so she could return to Hogwarts. Not that she didn't enjoy the summers she spent with her parents, or the time she'd been with Viktor, but nothing compared to her days at school. 

She sighed as she thought about Harry with his raven black hair and emerald green eyes—she'd heard from him the day before and was infuriated by the typical mistreatment he was receiving from the Dursleys. Then her mind went to Ron and she felt her heart skip a beat as she thought of his flaming red hair and ocean blue eyes…those beautiful eyes, how they seemed to search her, to know her even more intimately than she knew herself. Oh how she wanted him to know her—not merely as the drab, rule-abiding bookworm she'd been, but as the vivacious and beautiful young woman she'd become… She shook herself. Why was she thinking like this?? She was with Viktor and she was happy with Viktor. He was quiet and sweet—not to mention handsome! Ron was her friend—nothing more. He'd made sure of that himself—Hermione frowned as she remembered the fights she and Ron had had over her new found relationship. His eyes flashed (oh those beautiful eyes!) as he accused her of 'fraternizing with the enemy', and she'd fought hard to leave the room without slapping him. After that, she'd pretty much lost hope for any relationship beyond that of friends with him—he'd never want someone who had 'fraternized with the enemy'. It didn't matter though, she told herself with a sigh, I'm with Viktor and I like it that way. 

Suddenly a minute owl popped over her back fence and, upon seeing her in the hammock, began twittering madly. She recognized it at once as Ron's owl and felt a bit of a blush come on as she realized she'd just been thinking about him again. She took the letter from the owl, who seemed happy at having been relieved of its charge. Quickly opening the parchment, she read, 

_Dear Hermione, _

_How's your summer going? Mine's great—so far I've managed to survive Fred and George's experiments, but I don't know how long that'll last. They haven't come out of their room for ages, and you know what that means._

_Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to come and stay at the Burrow with us for the last two weeks of summer. Harry's coming, of course, and we could all go to Diagon Alley to get our supplies together. Besides, Ginny's been complaining like mad that she doesn't have any 'girl company' and I figured this would be one way to shut her up. _

_Ask your parents and send your answer back with Pig as soon as possible! I need to know when you're coming, because there's someone I want you to meet. _

_See you soon, _

_Ron_

          Hermione felt as if a lead weight had dropped in her stomach. "there's someone I want you to meet", she read again. Who could it be? Surely not a girlfriend, not Ron! But who else would he care for her to meet? His friends were all at Hogwarts—she knew them already. Pushing the image of Ron snogging some faceless girl out of her mind, she thought of Ginny and laughed. Having six brothers did have some draw-backs and she was anxious to go and spend time with her estrogen-deprived friend. 

*****

**A/N:** So what do you guys think?? I know it's short, but it's my first fic and I thought I'd get a couple of reviews before continuing!! (*hint hint*) =)

**Disclaimer: **If JKR is me, then I'm her…but she's not, so I'm not and don't own her stuff. 

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	2. The Burrow

**Disclaimer: **I figure you are all smart enough to realize that I'm not J.K. Rowling and therefore don't own any of her characters… =)

**A/N: **Thanks SO much for taking my extremely subtle hint and reviewing!! I got up this morning, expecting my normal one or two emails and found I had 19 review notices! *dances* I hope the second chapter is up to your expectations… *nervous* *breaks down in sobs* I can't take the pressure, it's too much, *sob* *sniff*… j/k! Keep reviewing! =)

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"There you are, dear! I'm so glad you could make it!" Mrs. Weasley  opened the door and pulled her visitor into a tight hug. 

          "Mum, let go of her before she suffocates!" Hermione was released from Mrs. Weasley's death grip to see Ginny standing just inside the hall. She picked up her things and walked inside. 

          "Here, let's take your stuff up to my room…" Ginny smiled as she led the way up the rickety stair case. When she opened the door, Hermione gasped. The once baby pink walls were now a spongy dark blue and the floor had been recarpeted. Enchanted glow in the dark stars twinkled on her ceiling, and her old twin bed had been replaced by a cute double, covered with fuzzy pillows and a deep blue comforter. 

          "You got your room remodeled! But…"

          "It was  a birthday present from some of the girls in my year… They knew how much I hated the way my room was before and got together to give me enough money to redo it." 

          "That was so sweet!" Hermione dropped her things on the floor and plopped down on the bed. "It looks great—YOU look great! You've changed a lot over the summer!"

          "So I didn't look great before?" Ginny sniffed, pretending to be offended.

"I didn't say that…but now that you mention it…" She laughed as she dodged the pillow that was aimed for her head. Trying to sound as casual as possible, she continued, "Where's Ron?"  

"Oh, Mum sent him and Charlie to Diagon Alley to pick up some new cleaning product she read about…I think she was trying to get Charlie out of the house—he's been pretty depressed since he broke up with Amanda."

          "Amanda? Who's she?"

          For the next two hours, the friends talked about everything from guys to parents to school, stopping only when they heard a knock at the door. 

          "Come in…" Ginny called. 

          "Hey, I heard you were up here, Hermione…" Ron opened the door and stepped inside.

          "Ron!" she jumped up and hugged him tightly. "I've missed you, how are you??" He held her close for a minute, then answered. "I'm great—and you?" 

          "I'm fine…just really glad to be here. You look really good—have you been working out?" She blushed at her own daring and wiped a stray hair out of her eyes as they pulled apart. 

          "Yeah, actually, just getting ready for the upcoming Quidditch season." He smiled. 

          "Is Harry here yet?" Ginny interrupted. She could only take so much of watching her brother and her friend staring googly eyed at each other.

          "Oh, right, that's why I came up here in the first place." Ron grinned sheepishly, "Dad is about to leave now, and wanted to know if you were gonna go with him to pick Harry up or not."

          Turning a fierce shade of scarlet, Ginny replied 'Aren't you going?"

          "No," he rolled his eyes, "Mum has MUCH better plans for me. She wants me to de-gnome the garden before he gets here. Hermione can go, though, if she wants."

          "Nah—I should unpack; I'll probably take a nap too—I doubt we'll be sleeping much tonight." She grinned at Ginny, who giggled. They both knew they'd be up talking all night like they always did—they'd discovered that the best inside jokes are made at three a.m.

          Looking from one girl to the other, Ron shook his head. "Dad's leaving soon, Gin, so hurry up." Then he closed the door and went downstairs. 

          Hermione smiled and sat back on the bed, completely unaware that she was being watched. 

          "You're pathetic, you know…" Ginny spoke as she began rummaging through her dresser.

          "What do you mean?"

          "I mean the way you ogle over my brother like that—and now you're sitting in a happy daze, and all just because he said 'hello'."

          "I don't ogle over your brother!" she claimed, as Ginny pulled a black tank-top and her favorite low-cut, flared cargo jeans from her drawer and began to change. 

          "Oh come on, you know you like him…That's not a bad thing." She continued when she saw the confused look on Hermione's face. 

          "Actually, it kind of is—I'm still with Viktor, remember??" She sighed, frustrated at her uncommon confusion. 

          "I'd forgotten about that…" Ginny admitted. They were quiet as the red head completed her look with silver dangly earrings, a simple necklace and a thin bracelet. The black tank-top contrasted with her long ruby layers and accentuated her thin, yet curvy figure. Hermione continued to watch as Ginny slipped into her black sandals, realizing exactly what she was doing. She was dressing for Harry—but casually enough that he wouldn't realize it, or anything else for that matter, other than her stunning summer beauty. 'Brilliant', Hermione thought, and smiled. After spraying herself with her favorite perfume (Sweet Temptations), she turned to her guest. 

"Alright, I'm out of here…Make yourself at home, ok? I cleared out a drawer for you, so you can unpack." She grinned as she walked to the door. 

          "Thanks, have fun." Hermione lay on the bed for a minute, listening to Ginny's footsteps echo down the hall. Then she sat up and began to unpack. 

***

          The late afternoon sun spilled in through the window and her stomach began to growl. Hermione stood up from the bed, reminded of her hunger, brushed her hair and headed downstairs for a snack. Seeing no one, she made her way to the kitchen. The house was unusually quiet, she thought, as she opened the pantry. Finding nothing of interest, she closed it and turned around, crashing into a tall, muscular torso. 

          "God, you scared me! Where did you come from? I didn't hear you come in…" she panted, looking up at Ron.

          "Sorry—I was outside and got a little…thirsty." He smiled and his eyes seemed to explore her every curve. Finally they landed on her sweet, pouty pink lips. She blushed lightly under his gaze, then tried to walk past him. Before she could, however, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. 

          "Ron, what—" she was interrupted by his lips gently caressing hers. He put his strong arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Quickly recovering from the shock ('kiss now, ask later!', she thought to herself), she put her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Her lips parted and his tongue entered her mouth, exploring every corner of it. Finally they pulled apart and she buried her head in his neck, taking in his sweet scent. Quietly, he whispered "I love you, 'Mione."

          Suddenly the door banged behind them and they jumped, quickly releasing each other, and turned around. 

          "Viktor!" She gasped as she saw her boyfriend at the door.

*****

**A/N:** Muahahahaha! Remember, as my dear editor/friend/comrade-in-arms and resident madwoman says, "that's the great thing about writing stories like this –cause  you can end it on a cliffhanger and as much as your readers want to kill you - they can't cause then they'd NEVER KNOW what'll happen next." So….please don't kill me!! I promise you won't regret it! Hehe, I'll update ASAP. 

**Recommendation:** Read _Flute Kahlan Solo Fel_'s stories—they're great so far! 

**twinsRus87:** You've just given me a great idea for another story—sort of a background thing on Hermione and Viktor! Hehe, this'll be fun…but yeah, the trio is starting its 6th year at Hogwarts and Hermione and Viktor met in two years before—but have they really been together all that time? You'll have to see… *wink, wink*

**everyone,** about the anonymous reviewer thing: thanks so much for pointing that out!! I just got started on here yesterday and didn't even realize that was enabled. I disabled it now, so everyone can review (I need all the help I can get!). Thanks again!!! =)

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	3. New Acquaintance

**A/N:** I'm back!! Sorry about leaving you in suspense in the last chapter (well, I'm not really sorry, but I was taught to be polite! Hehe), but now that school has started, updates will be…weekly at the most, I promise! This entire story is dedicated to  Beth K., Writer, Reader, Editor, and Full-out Madwoman. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be here right now (aka, writing @ fanfiction)…instead, I'd be doing something like _homework_ or the like. Anyway, this is for her! =)

**Disclaimer: **What were you thinking?? Sure, sure, rub it in my face why don't ya!? I'm not J.K. Rowling and don't own her characters. Thanks for making me feel good about myself…*scowl* I do, however, own the plot and any characters I make up of my own….so =P!

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     Hermione's eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright, panting. Looking around her, she realized she was safe (and alone) in Ginny's room. The late afternoon sun poured into the quiet room through a large window. Shakily, she rose and strode to the window, peering out at the beautiful sunset. Her mind drifted back to her dream—Ron's gentle touch and that kiss;that perfect kiss…she could almost feel it lingering on her lips. Then, with a start, she remembered Viktor's entrance and the look in his eyes. A look of—well, not anger, but pain. Deep, life-sucking pain…pain she knew only she could cause. They'd been together for barely over a year now, yet they trusted each other implicitly. Having a long distance relationship required trust, and look what she'd gone and done with it! Smashed it on the ground; shattered it to pieces. Sure, it was only a dream, but wasn't that always the beginning? She sighed, attempting to make sense of her overwhelming thoughts and wishing desperately for a Pensieve to aid her.

She glanced down at the garden below and felt her heart quicken as she saw the object of her secret affection, throwing gnomes over the distant wall. His muscles rippled and, for the first time, she noticed the sexy veins in his arms that proved Ron Weasley was no longer the gangly, awkward eleven year old he once had been. The sun glistened on his hair, seemingly setting his head on fire. His black shirt (complete with orange Chudley Cannons logo on the back) clung to him, soaked with sweat. Thinking back to her dream, Hermione tore her eyes away from her love…erm, _best friend_ and went to take a shower. 

*****

    Ron sat on a rock, wiping the sweat from his brow. He took a sip of water and sighed…her hair was so soft, her skin so creamy. She'd changed so much from the last time he'd talked to her—did she still hate him? He realized he'd been a class-A jerk to her, and hoped she'd have it in herself to forgive him. 

A bird whooped in the distance, and a light breeze began to blow. Ron smiled as he realized the love of his life was never far from his mind. Her gentle, perfect hands, the depth of her eyes, even the dimple in her cheek haunted him night and day. He prayed that one day she would be his in a way neither of them had ever imagined or could ever have hoped… 

In the meantime, he had to be content with his dreams. Not only dreams of passion and desire, but those of the future he hoped to share with her. Spending the day at the lake with their children, each of which would reflect some aspect of her astounding beauty…coming home to her every day, waking up to her fresh scent every morning. His heart skipped a beat as he imagined such a life; it seemed almost too much to ask.  

He looked up and realized all that was left of the day were the last lingering shadows of sunset. Shivering, he stood up and went to the front of the house, only to find his father pulling up with Ginny and Harry. 

"Hey!! How are you?" Harry grinned, pulling Ron into a loose, back-slapping hug.

"I'm great—what took you so long to get here?" They took Harry's things inside and set them down at the foot of the stairs.  

"Your dad kept stopping to examine everything—traffic lights, pedestrian signals, even a sprinkler system on some old lady's lawn. I'm sure she thought he was nutters when she came outside and saw him on his hands and knees in her soaking wet lawn, looking at her sprinkler."  

Laughing, Harry looked up to see a glowing Hermione come down. She'd changed a lot—her cinnamon hair was long and wavy, and her light tan made her honey colored eyes simply shine. She seemed a bit taller, too, and was wearing a deep blue three-quarter sleeved shirt and jeans, which accentuated her near-perfect figure and delicate curves. Harry glanced at Ginny, who was smiling, then at Ron who seemed entranced with the young woman that was approaching. 

"Harry! How are you? I missed you so much!" 

Taking in her enticing scent, he wrapped her in a tight hug and answered warmly, "I'm fine! How are you, how was Bulgaria?"

_Something_ flashed through her eyes, but disappeared before he was able to identify it. She smiled serenely, simply replying, "I'm great and it was great. Should we get your stuff upstairs? I think dinner's almost ready."

*****

    An hour later, eight Weasleys and two guests pushed back from the dinner table, completely stuffed. 

"Thank you, Mum! Dinner was great—I'm sorry I could only come for a few hours. Speaking of which, I should probably get back—the guys were hoping to move this Hungarian Horntail and her eggs to a safer region." Charlie stood up, gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and disapparated. The entire Weasley family (except for Percy) had managed to come for dinner that night, making Hermione and Harry's first day at the Burrow complete. 

"Well, I guess I'd better get this mess cleaned up before _someone_ else gets here!" Mrs. Weasley stood up and began collecting peoples plates.

"Can we help you?" Hermione asked, ignoring Ginny's glare.

"Oh, no, no—there won't be time for that." She gave a vague, knowing smile, and went into the kitchen.

"What was that about?" Harry asked, looking from Ron to Ginny. Almost as if in answer to his question, the doorbell rang. The four jumped in surprise and Ron ran to answer it. After a minute, Hermione heard a delicate, earthy laugh from the other room and felt her heart freeze in her chest. 'That was _definitely_ a girl's laugh,' she thought, and braced herself for the worst. She looked up and saw Ron come back in the room, accompanied by a beautiful girl, who looked to be their same age.

    "Guys, this is Kalea." 

*****

**A/N: **So what do you think?? Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out… I hit MAJOR writer's block halfway into it and took three days to figure out what to put next. =) The more reviews/ideas I get, the faster the update will come because frankly, I'm not exactly sure how to start the next chapter. Oh, also about Hermione's description: She has the right to be gorgeous—she's sixteen and sexy! LoL, I wish _I_ looked like that…ESP the 'near-perfect figure' part! Hehe…Hey, that reminds me….do any of you know when Hermione's birthday is, or does no one know yet?

  
**Alyce (sweetie_pie_5_au@hotmail.com):** This update came especially for you... I couldn't bear the thought of your being eternally sad! Hope you enjoyed it... =)  
  
** Everyone:** Thanks for all the great reviews, you guys!! =)


	4. Only the Beginning

*****

**Disclaimer: **I wish I was JKR—it would rock to be a goddess at writing…thanks SO much for accusing me of being her in disguise (read reviews if you don't know what I'm talking about)! That's a major compliment for my writing…*feels good*. =) Anyway, yeah, the point is that Kalea is the only character that I own in this story so far. 

*****

     "Kalea!" Ginny squealed, "How are you? How was your trip?" Before she could answer, Ginny continued. "This is Harry, and this is Hermione. They're both in your year!"

       Kalea rolled her eyes at her over-excited friend and turned to her new acquaintances. "Nice to meet you," She stated simply, and flashed them a dazzling smile. Her perfect rosebud lips framed her flawless teeth; Hermione smiled back…then felt her insides turn cold once again as she glanced over at Ron. He couldn't take his eyes off her! But they were just friends…or were they? _Of course they are_, she shouted at her mind. _Ah, but why do you care? _It shouted back… _You have a boyfriend, and Ron is not him…_ Hermione's eyes narrowed as she continued her mental argument. _That doesn't matter, I'm just looking out for him…he is, after all, one of my best friends. And who knows who this wench is! _She gasped, surprised at her own anger…then colored as she realized Harry was looking at her, brow furrowed in concern. Fortunately, Ron hadn't noticed her slight lapse in control, which brought her back to her original frustration. _He hadn't noticed her._ She sighed and followed her friends as the conversation moved into the living room. 

"So Ginny said that you're in our year? What school are you from?" Harry grinned warmly, his eyes shining with interest. 

     "Oh, I was at the Atlanta School of Sorcery…I'm actually turning 17 in October and was in 6th year there—the system is different in America. We generally start when we turn twelve instead of eleven like all of you, and then only study for six years." Kalea smiled engagingly, and brushed a few strands of her beautifully silky blonde shoulder length hair behind her ear, revealing several jeweled ear piercings. She continued, "but now that I'm transferring to Hogwarts, I'll be in 7th year with you."

     Harry's eyes lit up at this, "So you'll be transferring to Hogwarts? Brilliant! Why?" 

     She laughed at his reaction, "Thanks…my dad went to Hogwarts, so when he got offered a position in London, he couldn't refuse. He'd always hoped I could spend at least one year there…"

     Hermione was quiet. Kalea was coming to Hogwarts. She and Ron looked pretty close, she noticed, as she glanced over at him again. He was sitting on the sofa next to her with his arm resting on the back of the couch just above and behind her head. He still couldn't take his eyes off her. Something kept eating at the back of her mind… a question she'd been thinking about ever since the first owl about meeting this "someone". Finally, when she couldn't bear it any more, she cut in, "So how do you guys know each other?"

     Ron, Ginny and Kalea all burst out laughing. Confused, Hermione asked, "What?"

     As their giggles subsided, Ron spoke up. "Well, Mum and Dad decided they would visit America for two weeks and wanted to leave us here. Well, Fred and George wanted to go too, obviously, and wouldn't leave them alone about it. They kept leaving their trick stuff around the house so Mum and Dad would accidentally pick it up. _FINALLY, _after they filled Mum's black pudding with canary cream and the whole family burst into feather, Mum and Dad decided to take us with them…but leave us with some friends they knew there. 

     Kalea cut in, "See my father and Uncle Arthur were best mates at Hogwarts and they pulled all sorts of stunts.  After they graduated, they kept in touch until my parents moved to America, after they moved it was just too much for the owls to keep flying back and forth, so they stopped writing for a while."    

       "Then, when Mum and Dad decided to take us with them," Ron smiled as he re interrupted the story and took over again. "Mum was kinda frantic about what'd she do with us, until Dad remembered his old school chum.   He right away sent an express owl to ask if it was alright if we could stay with them.  They owled back saying that it was fine and that their daughter had also just returned from school and the more, the merrier, once we met, we all became fast friends." 

       "Not all of us." Ginny corrected, giggling. 

     "Oh right" Ron responded, grinning broadly at Kalea who was now blushing and looking down at her hands. 

     "Fred and George decided to really make a mark by wearing gloves covered in their newest invention…Phoenix Flames paste.  Kalea here happened to be the recipient of this prank and she spent the next week devising a way to get back at them for it.  Man, it was a thing to see, Harry.  The Master Pranksters pranked!"  Ron said with a grin as he leaned over and ruffled her hair, while Ginny doubled over with laughter. "After that, the rest of us made sure not to get on Kalea's bad side, except for Fred and George, who kept trying to reprank her with no success."

     Just then, amidst the laughter, they heard Mrs. Weasley's voice come in from the kitchen, "All right, bed-time! Everyone upstairs….."

*****

    "So what's Hogwarts like?" Kalea asked as she changed into her pajamas. No wonder Ron couldn't take his eyes off her, Hermione thought. She was simply gorgeous. Her stormy gray eyes reflected her free spirit, yet betrayed her nervousness about starting at Hogwarts. A fabulous tan covered her curvy, athletic body, from her button nose and angled jaw to her powerful looking calves. Sure, Ginny had a model's body, and she herself certainly didn't have anything to complain about, but Kalea was new…what would this mean for her, or any of the girls at Hogwarts for that matter? Little did she know, her red-headed friend had lain awake the night before, thinking of just that... Suddenly, she was jolted out of her thoughts at the sound of her name. 

    "…Hermione can show you to all your classes and whatever at first, until you find your way around. I think you'll like it!" Ginny folded back her covers and got in bed, motioning for her two friends to do the same. 

    "Oh, thanks so much Hermione!! I hope you don't mind if I follow you around for the first week or two…" Kalea looked at her hopefully, then smiled. _Maybe she's not so terrible after all, _Hermione thought with uncertainty. _After all, it's not her fault she's gorgeous and she IS new to England, let alone Hogwarts. She'll need a friend in her same year. And, well, if  Ron wanted her…no, better to think about that later. After all, she didn't even know if Kalea was single, let alone interested in Ron…Hey, speaking of single…_

    "Viktor!!!" Hermione slapped her forehead and jumped out of bed. She rushed over to her bag, grabbed a piece of parchment and began to write him a letter. 

    "Who's Viktor?" Kalea asked, somewhat surprised about the mention of this new guy after seeing the way Hermione kept looking at Ron. 

    "Viktor Krum—THE Viktor Krum. He's Hermione's boyfriend." Ginny answered. For now, at least…she finished to herself. 

    "As in the one that plays for the Bulgaria Intl team?? Are you serious? Wow!! How did it happen?"

    Hermione tuned out of the familiar conversation and continued writing. 

_    Dear Viktor, _

_            How are you? I'm sorry I didn't write earlier this week, but I was getting ready to come to the Burrow for the last few days of vacation. I'm having fun, I guess, but things are quite interesting at the moment. A new girl is transferring from America  to Hogwarts this year and, because she's in my year,  I've sort of been volunteered to show her around a bit at first. _

_            I read about your game in the Daily Prophet a few days ago. You were amazing!! That Wronski Feint you pulled on the…_Hermione scrunched up her nose. Had it actually been a Wronski Feint? And what was the name of that Canadian seeker? Oh well, whatever… She shrugged her shoulders and continued writing, _Canadian seeker was brilliant. I do hope he's alright, though—smashing into the ground like that. How long did they say he'd be out? In the paper it merely stated what happened, but had no comment on his current condition. Watch yourself in your next game! I don't want the next Daily Prophet headline to be, "Krum is smashed to bits" or anything nearly like it. _

_            I miss you so much! When do you think we'll be able to see each other again? I know Quidditch keeps you  busy, but maybe you could come by for Christmas or something. I promise I'll make it worth your while…_

_            XOXOXO, _

_                   Hermione_

    Hermione sealed the letter, tied it to Athena's leg and watched her fly out the window, hoping it would find her boyfriend well and in one piece. Then she turned, only to see that the room was empty. She crept to the door, curious about the whereabouts of her two companions. Quietly, she called down the stairs. Hearing no reply, she turned back and was hit by a sudden wave of heat. After blinking for a minute, Hermione realized everything was much taller than it had been…and she couldn't move. In fact, she couldn't even feel herself…it seemed as though she was only a pair of eyes rolling around on the floor. A bright light flashed in her eyes and, once she could see again, found herself face to face with a pair of blue and black toe socks. Looking very much further up, she saw Kalea's face grinning down at her, a camera in her hands.

    "What's going on?" Hermione tried to ask, but found she couldn't. Then Ginny came into view, eyes wide with surprise and laughter at the sight of her friend on the floor at her feet. Then, Hermione was relieved to feel a wave of cold pass through her and found she had quickly regained her senses, and her height, though she felt a bit dizzy and disoriented.

    "How do you feel?" Kalea asked anxiously, putting her hand up to steady her new friend who was slightly swaying.

    "A…a little dizzy. But I'm ok, I think. What was that??" she asked, her voice dry. 

    "Sorry, 'Mione," Ginny snorted, "But we needed to test Kalea's imitation of Fred and George's Phoenix Flames. It seems to have worked really well!" she grinned at Kalea, who was looking at the picture with satisfaction. She handed it to Hermione who, now steadied once again, broke out laughing at the sight of herself as a neat pile of ashes with eyes. 

    "It was great—you turned back into the room right when we dropped the PF powder above you. Then, *poof*, you burst into flame and immediately became that pile of ashes in the picture. The only thing we need to work on is the immediate dizzying effect it has…" Kalea's brow furrowed and she bit her lip as she thought. 

    "Oh well, at least your version automatically restores you after a minute instead of leaving you there as ash until the prankster so decides you should return to normal. How long were you confined to your ashes, again?" Ginny raised her eyebrow, suppressing a laugh.

    "A day. Which reminds me, we need to get them back for that."

    "But I thought Ron said you already pranked them…?" Hermione asked, somewhat confused at this comment.

    Kalea's eyes glinted wickedly and an evil half-smile played on her lips. In a hushed voice, she replied, "I did…but I only got them once, and they left me there on the floor for an entire day… Besides, this is my first day here, I can't give them the chance to prank me—or worse—_us,_ first!"

    "You're gonna help us, right Hermione?" Ginny looked at her friend with her own evil look that demanded her presence in this operation. "After all, you're probably the smartest witch out of the three of us…I'm sure you know some things the twins haven't thought of at all from reading all those books you always carry around."

    Hermione thought about this for a second. She hated getting in trouble, yet…somehow, this was different. _This kind of thing goes on here all the time, _she reasoned to herself. _Besides, when else am I going to get the chance to help prank the masters? It'll be so much fun… and hey, if anyone asks, I can say I was merely trying to make Kalea feel welcome….right?_

    "You do realize this is only the beginning? A declaration of war?" She looked from one friend to the other. 

    "Of course," Kalea raised one eyebrow, "That's half the fun in itself. An all out war." 

    A mischievous grin spread over Hermione's lips and she turned to her new comrades-in-arms. "What are we gonna do?"

*****

**A/N:** I already started writing the next chapter, for those of you who are annoyed at me for taking so long in getting this out. Sorry about that. It's really my *editor's* fault because she took a while to send it back to me… *innocent grin*

Speaking of which, the Phoenix Flame prank idea was created and is owned by the EVER brilliant Beth K., aka Flute Kahlan Solo Fel. =)


	5. Sharks, Bikinis and a Chicken Fight

*********

**Disclaimer:** I am not JKR. I don't own her characters. I do own mine. =)

*****

      "Girls!!! Time for breakfast!" Mrs. Weasley called up the stairs. Three girls shook themselves out of their dreams and slowly pulled themselves out of bed. 

      "It's too EARLY to get up…" Kalea whined.

      "Oh come on, it's 10:30! You _Americans_ are SO lazy…" Hermione grinned and locked herself in the bathroom before Kalea could catch her. She sat back down on the bed, looked at Ginny and laughed. 

      "Well, it seems like she's finally loosening up... When you told me she was quiet, I had no idea you meant half-dead! Anyone who's read _that_ monster more than once needs to get a life!" Kalea pointed at Hermione's well-worn copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ which sat neatly on her trunk. 

      "She wasn't half-dead! She was just…overly reserved." Ginny smiled. "Anyway, now that you're here, I have a feeling that's all gonna change. She might resist our evilness at first, but if last night's prank is any indication, she won't last long!"

      "Yeah…and sooner or later, she's gonna realize she has to be a little more aggressive to win the attentions of a certain red-headed hottie." 

      "What??" 

      "Hello, I'm not stupid. I noticed the way she kept glaring at me last night in the living room…It's obvious she likes Ron. I don't know about this Krum fellow, but he's obviously not held her fancy. I don't blame her though, Ron's changed a lot from when I last saw him. As soon as he opened the door, I decided to claim him for myself, but…" Kalea laughed, "After seeing Hermione's adoring and protective glances in his direction and the glares she shot in mine…I'm **afraid** of what would happen to me if I _tried_ to go after him."

      "Yeah…after seeing her wickedness at work last night, we should all be careful to stay on her good side. I pity Malfoy now that the true evil of Hermione has been unleashed…" Ginny's eyes went misty as she imagined the trouble that would ensue between the two. 

      "Hey, speaking of last night…the guys should be waking up any time now. I can't wait until they try to get out of bed…." The two girls erupted into laughter. 

***** Fred and George's Room *****

      Sunlight was pouring in the window of the twins' messy room. Their walls were charred from various explosions, and bits of wood and other…*miscellaneous* things lay strewn around the floor. Fred awoke first, hearing the sound of running water beneath him, vaguely aware of a fresh, salty smell. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. 

      "BLOODY HELL!!"

      George stirred in his bed on the other side of the room, drooling on his pillow. "Fred," he mumbled, "Shut up…I'm almost…" He fell asleep again. 

      "George!! I don't believe it! Wake up you arse, and look at our room!" Fred bellowed. George finally rolled over, falling off his bed. 

      "What the—?!!?" He cried, as a sheet of icy water swept over him. He sat up and looked anxiously around at what used to be his room. 

      "Kalea…definitely Kalea." Fred muttered, a look of adoration and amusement shining from his eyes. 

      The room had been transformed into an ocean. The beds and the dresser stood out of the water like islands, and storm clouds brewed just under their ceiling. _Someone_ even placed a lighthouse on their bed-side table. Tiny boats floated back and forth on the raging sea, capsizing from time to time. Suddenly George howled and jumped out of the water back on to his bed. 

      "What, what happened??" Fred asked, laughing.

      "They put mini SHARKS in there!! One bit me!! Look, there it is!" George pointed at what used to be the floor and looked down at his leg, which was now bleeding.

      "Brilliant…" Fred smiled. 

      "Yah, maybe, but how are we gonna get out of here, then? I suppose we can run to the door? You can go first, then, since I'm the one that discovered the sharks." George scowled, amused, yet indignant that they'd been out-pranked.   

      "Right, then, here I go…" Fred hopped into the water and ran as fast as he could to the door. He grabbed the handle and twisted it—but it wouldn't open. After swearing to himself, Fred ran back across the room to his dresser and grabbed his wand.

      "Fred…" George started, but was cut short by a howl of pain. Fred hopped back on his bed, bleeding in not one, but two places. 

      "Why didn't you tell me there were more than one??? And that they were following me?" Fred demanded, as he sat back on the bed. 

      "I tried to…"

      The twins sat in silence for a few minutes when, quite chillingly, a burst of lightening came from the clouds at their ceiling and it began to rain. 

***** 

      Hermione finally emerged from the shower, completely refreshed. _Last night was the best!_, she giggled to herself. _I can't believe we actually pranked them!! _Looking at herself in the mirror, she sighed. _No wonder it took forever for Ron to realize I'm a girl…I don't exactly fit the *every guy's dream* description. _Suddenly, there was a sharp rap on the door. "Hermione?? Are you done in there?? Beauty sleep might be enough for some, but as for us…we desperately need showers!" Ginny's voice rang through the door. 

      "Yeah, sure, hold on!" Hermione wrapped the towel around herself and stepped into the room. Ginny stepped past her, and closed the door to the bathroom, grateful Harry hadn't stopped by to say good morning yet. She would _DIE_ if he saw her all gross and morning-ish, in her dragon-fly PJs. She sighed as she stepped into the shower and turned on the warm water. 

      She smiled as the thought again about Harry. It seemed he was always on her mind. When they'd arrived at the Dursley's to pick him up, she'd been nervous and excited…. but nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. The door flew open, and Harry stepped out, dragging his trunk behind him. He'd grown at least four inches, and had somehow gotten rid of his glasses. He must have been working hard during the holiday because he was very tan, and his sinewy muscles were very noticeable through his white t-shirt. And how long had his butt been like **that**?! Her breath caught in her throat as she stood, and she nervously adjusted her top and patted down her hair. 

"Ginny!" He stepped to her and wrapped his powerful, sexy arms around her, embracing her in an affectionate hug. "I missed you so much, how are you?" He looked in her eyes. She took in the fresh, enticing scent of his cologne and answered slowly, "Fine, I've been great." Especially now that you're here, Harry, she wanted to add, but knew she couldn't. "And you?" she asked, instead.

      "Just great…better now that I'm going to the Burrow!" He released her and turned to his trunk. Hedwig sat regally in her cage, hooting softly. 

      "I'll get Hedwig, Dad's got the car open for your trunk." She smiled as she picked up the cage and sat back inside the car, happier than she had been since school let out.

***** 

      "So, what do you want to do today?" Kalea asked her new friend. Right before Ginny claimed the shower, the two had been discussing what to do about a certain brown-eyed bookworm and her redheaded affections…and now, Kalea had come up with a plan. 

      "Oh, I don't know. I'll probably read for a bit." Hermione sighed as she began dressing. 

      "READ?" Kalea sounded scandalized. "You most certainly will _not_ read while I'm around, young lady!" She stood up on the bed and assumed the strictest pose she could think of and pointed her finger at Hermione. "This is summer vacation and you WILL enjoy it by SOCIALIZING…not _reading_ !! From what Ginny and Ron have told me, you're already prepared to take this year's end of term finals, so there's no point in studying anymore until school starts."

      Hermione laughed, unsure what to think or do. _Now I HAVE to read some time today…just to spite her!, _she thought. "What do you suggest we do, then?" She questioned, smiling innocently up at Kalea.

      "Well…I was thinking we hang out at the lake for a while, work on our tans, check out the guys…you know, that sort of thing." Kalea grinned slyly. 

      Her friend rolled her eyes. "A modest one-piece doesn't do much for tanning, now does it?" She pulled out her deep blue, racing-style one piece and laid it on the bed in front of her friend. She burst into laughter as Kalea's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped in shock. 

      "You…you _don't _have a bikini?!" She asked slowly, then threw herself down on the bed, dramatically *sobbing*, "The SHAME, the SHAME!"

      "Nope. Sorry. Any other ideas for the day's activities?" She replied smugly, certain she'd saved herself. 

      "Oh, no you don't!! You may not own a bikini, but I have _seven_ and I brought them ALL with me!! I'm sure we could get one to fit."

*****

      Three hours later, the five friends sat outside by the lake, talking and listening to music on Kalea's Muggle CD player. She claimed she couldn't live without it and insisted on introducing her friends to one of her favorite bands, Linkin Park. 

      "Have Fred and George come out of their room yet?" Kalea asked, after slipping in the band's newest cd and plopping down on the blanket between Harry and Ron.

      "I wonder what they're doing…" Ginny added, hiding a grin. The boys looked at each other and then at the three girls who were looking at them innocently. 

      "Ginny…" Harry began, "Tell me what you did…" He looked helplessly at Ron when she became very interested in her nails. Ron turned on Hermione. 

      "Come on, Herm…what's up?"

      "Nothing much, but I swear if you EVER call me *Herm* again, you'll find out for yourself…," she replied sweetly. Ron, unsure how to respond, looked back at Harry. Suddenly, he realized Kalea had been quiet for the past minute…too quiet. He looked around and saw her approaching his best mate, but before he could warn Harry, she'd dumped an entire glass of ice water on his head. 

      "You did NOT just do that, Mitchell!! You'll pay!" He jumped up, laughing, and began to chase after her. She was a surprisingly fast runner, he noticed, as she ducked behind a bush. Fortunately, so was he, he grinned, as he caught up to her and threw her over his shoulder.

      "Harry!!!" She screamed. "Put me down!!" 

      "I don't think so," he laughed. "You brought this upon yourself!" Finally, he reached the waters edge and, with a strong, yet gentle toss, threw her in. Happy with his triumph, he turned back to look at the rest of the group. Hermione was laying on her stomach, presumably tanning her back… but he could see the book she had hidden under a towel. It was probably _Hogwarts, A History_ again. He grinned…no matter how much is going on, some things never change. Suddenly, Harry's leg fell out from under him and he toppled into the water. Coming up from his fall, he looked up to see his newfound friend sitting on the water's edge, triumphant. 

      "Gotcha…" She smiled coyly, and turned her head up towards the group on the blanket. "Come on in, you guys, the water's great!" She turned back around and waded deeper into the lake and began swimming around, not noticing the look Ginny was giving her. 

      Ron stood up and took off his shirt, revealing his breathtakingly ripped upper body. "Come on Herm…IONE," he quickly added, smiling. She sat for a minute, too self-conscious to stand up. Why did Kalea make her wear this stupid thing, anyway? It was so… bikini-ish!  She just _knew_ as soon as she stepped in the water, some part of the silvery blue material would come undone and there she'd be, exposed in front of her best friends and her cru…Ron… not _her_ Ron, but just Ron… Her face flushed as she realized he was still looking at her, waiting for a response. Finally, she stood up slowly and carefully, making sure everything was still in place. Noticing her reluctance, Ron laughed, "What's the matter? Can't handle the water? Or can't handle being with such a stud like me in the water?"

      She eyed him icily. "What makes you think _you're _a stud?" Then she looked down at herself in disdain and added,  "At least you look better than _I_ do out here." He laughed, surprised at this response. Not knowing exactly what to say yet, he ignored it, pretended to be offended and replied, "But I _am_ a stud! *sniff sniff* Mama told me so…" Hermione laughed and walked passed him towards Kalea and Harry who were apparently having a dunking contest. Suddenly she felt a rush behind her and heard a whisper in her ear. "Ah, but you do look amazing…" Thinking she'd imagined it, she looked around, only to see Ron wink at her and continue running down towards the water where he proceeded to cannonball on top of Harry. 

      Ginny continued to sit on the towel alone, watching her friends in the water. Ron had crashed on top of Harry, causing both to go underwater, and the girls stood, the water up to their waists, talking and laughing. She sighed and looked at Kalea. How could she have done that? It was hard enough for her to get Harry to fall in love with her without her American friend coming along and flirting uncontrollably with him. What had that whole water scene been about? Sure, they needed to break the moment before they gave away their prank war, but coming on to Harry like that was a little much.  

      A voice ripped her from her thoughts. "You gonna come in, Gin?" Kalea waved from Harry's shoulders. Hermione beamed from Ron's shoulders and added, "The water's great!!"

      "Nah, not right now. Thanks anyway." Ginny forced a grin and turned away from the lake.  The girls' shrill shrieks and laughs as they 'chicken fought' pierced through her mind like knives into her heart. Finally, not able to stand it any longer, Ginny got up and left.

*****

**A/N: **Hope you liked this chapter!! I'm trying to update as often as possible since I doubt I'll be able to update much during the week. You guys know how school is…ANYWAY, please **R/R if you want more chapters**! ;-)

**Ice Princess 12: **This and the next chapter were written just for you, hehe! I hope you like them…

**Write-on3108: **Thanks for being my only updated-version reviewer!! You get a cookie! =)

*****


	6. Moonlight Confessions

**Disclaimer**: Do you really think it's possible that a world famous, multi millionaire goddess of writing would spend her free time writing at a fan fiction website about her own books? No? Good—so you get the idea, I'm not her. If you answered YES to that question….*no comment*

***** 

      The setting sun cast orange and purple shadows on the tear-streaked face of the young girl. She sighed and wiped another tear, lost in a raging sea of thoughts and confusion. Everything seemed so calm and beautiful from this spot and yet, at the same time, everything seemed so horribly screwed up.     

      "Ginny, what's wrong?" Ginny caught her breath as Harry stepped through the trees. He was still in his blue swimming shorts, his t-shirt slung over his shoulder, leaving his incredible chest and stomach bare. His wet hair flopped in his face and she could feel her heart speed up as she noticed the glistening of his moist skin in the sunset. She shook herself; he'd been the last person she expected to find her, much less come looking. What was he doing here, anyway? Why did he insist on doing this to her? She bitterly turned away from him as he approached and wished, for once, that he would leave her alone. 

      "Please, Ginny," He spoke again, much closer now. She turned back to him to see his emerald eyes full of concern. "You just disappeared when we were all swimming… I…we got worried," he blushed.

      "I'm fine." Ginny said, her quavering voice betraying her. He sat next to her and, gently brushing away her tears with his thumb, spoke softly, "You've been crying…is it something I did?"  

      "Harry, just…please. Leave me alone." Despite her best efforts, her voice cracked and another tear streamed down her cheek.  To her surprise, he kept his hand on her face, his fingers in her hair, and stared at her intently, never saying a word. Finally, taking a breath, he said, "I can't leave you alone, Ginny. I don't know what's wrong, but I'm here for you."

      Feeling herself begin to melt inside and not wanting to give in, she turned back to her anger and retorted, "Why _are_ you here, Harry? What do you care if I'm upset or hurting? I may just be Ron's little sister to you, but I'm a big girl, Harry, and I can handle my own problems. Not like you would understand them anyway." She fumed, but immediately regretted it. His eyes became dark as hurt flashed across his face. Saying nothing, he stood and began walking away. She couldn't bear to see him leave like this, not when he was the reason she was hurting so much in the first place. He'd come to help like the great guy he was, and she'd pushed him away. 

      "Harry…please, wait. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bite your head off..." Her voice trailed off and she looked down at the ground. Sighing, he sat down again, much closer this time, and put his arms around her. She leaned against his bare chest, surprised at how fast his heart was beating. Staring up at the darkening sky, Harry was amazed at the young woman he had in his arms. She was so sweet and loving, yet at the same time, very strong willed and independent. How could he have missed it before? She'd been there the entire time—but he'd been too busy chasing after Cho to notice. Suddenly, here she was…utterly amazing. The stars began appearing one by one as the sun tucked back beneath the horizon, and a gentle breeze began to blow. She shivered and he pulled her closer, covering her bare arms with his shirt. 

      "Aren't you cold?" She asked, looking up at him. 

      "Nah…" He smiled. "I'll be alright. What about you, are you ok?"

      "Yeah, I think so. Harry?" She spoke softly.

      "What?" He replied softly, brushing a hair away from her eyes. She looked so beautiful, especially now, bathed in moonlight. She smelled sweet and her lips looked so soft, so perfect. 

      "Harry…I…" Her voice faltered and she looked at the ground, searching for the words. He gently stroked her face and, before he lost his nerve, lifted her chin, reaching closer until finally his lips reached hers and they kissed. Ginny's mind raced, _OMG, OMG, OMG, Harry's kissing me!!! He's really finally kissing me! OMG I'm just sitting here, I should kiss him back!!" _After what seemed like an awkward and uncertain eternity, Harry felt Ginny's arms go around his neck, deepening the kiss. Her lips were sweeter, softer than he'd expected; a delicate tropical smell wafted up to him as he ran his fingers through her long, luscious locks. Ginny's eyes widened in surprise as his tongue deftly slipped into her mouth, sending thousands of delicious sparks through her body. She'd kissed before, but never like _this_, never with the love of her life. _It's perfect_, she decided. 

      Finally, after several minutes and in desperate need of oxygen, the two pulled apart. Ginny closed her eyes and leaned against Harry's chest in an effort to not explode with happiness and ruin the moment by making a fool out of herself. 

      "Ginny, I've wanted to tell you for so long…" he whispered softly in her ear. Surprised, she opened her eyes and looked up at him. Not willing to make assumptions and risk having her heart broken, she asked, "Tell me what?" He looked down at her lightly freckled face and deep almond eyes. _God, _he thought, _she's so beautiful! I don't deserve her! _A gentle breeze played in her hair, the stars twinkling in her eyes. 

      "I love you." He stated simply, in awe of how deep that love was. 

      _Wait a minute_, she thought, _This is almost too perfect… _"What about Kalea?" she asked, looking away.

"What about her?" he questioned, stunned at her response. 

      "I don't know, it's just…today…it seemed…" her voice faltered. She'd been so stupid to assume—_Harry's not like that!_ she thought, fiercely avoiding Harry's penetrating gaze. Finally, he put his hand gently on one cheek and turned her face back towards his. 

      "Ginny, there is nothing between Kalea and I; you know that. We only just met. Besides, my heart has long belonged to another." He gazed deeply into her eyes. 

      "Oh, Harry, I knew there couldn't be anything between you two, but when I saw you today, I was just so afraid…" her voice trailed off as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. 

      "Afraid of what?"

      "Afraid…you didn't feel the same about me as I do about you." She responded quietly. "Harry, I've loved you ever since I met you at the train station in your first year." She gently reached up and brushed a strand of black hair out of his face and traced his scar lightly with her finger. "Never because of this, Harry. If you were some normal nobody, I'd still love you. Hell, I'd love you even if you were a Slytherin!"

      "Let's not go that far," he grinned, interrupting her. She smiled and, seeing his soft, sexy lips, she leaned up. _Do I dare? _She wondered, but before she could answer herself, Harry caught her up in another amazing kiss. Suddenly a voice pierced through the cool night air. "Kids!! It's time for supper!" 

      Ginny looked up at Harry and sighed. "I guess we should get back before they send a search party after us." He smiled and touched her soft hair, kissing her one more time. They stood and began walking back to the house, listening to the wind softly whisper though the trees. Ginny smiled…her dream had finally come true, things were finally working out! She wanted to scream it from the rooftops, tell everyone she knew that the man she loved, loved her back. A tug on her hand pulled her out of her thoughts and she turned. Harry was looking from her to the house with an air of… fear?

      "Ginny…I think we should keep this a secret…" His voice trailed off. Her heart froze. He didn't want anyone to know? Was he ashamed of her, was she not good enough for him? Unable to say much else, she whispered a quiet "Ok." Before turning away.

      "Wait…" he called after her. Tears stung in her eyes. 

      "Don't get me wrong, Ginny, I love you, and I want to be with you…but in secret, just for now…" He pleaded. _God, _she thought_, he has the sweetest puppy eyes!! _Shaking herself, she said, "There's no reason…" She stopped. He did have a reason to not want to tell the whole world; six red-headed reasons, to be exact. Suddenly, she burst out laughing. _Harry Potter, defeater of the Dark Lord himself, is afraid of MY BROTHERS!!! _She thought, ignoring Harry's look of complete and utter confusion.

      "Alright, Harry," she said as she calmed. "We'll keep it a secret—but you really shouldn't worry…my brothers like you."

      Harry turned red when he realized what she thought. He just wanted to protect her—anyone involved with him was at risk, she should know that. And, well, after all, she DID have six strong brothers. Deciding to say nothing, he smiled at her and, taking her hand, continued toward the house.

***** 

      Two hours later,  Fred, Kalea, Ginny and Ron sat in the living room watching the fire. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had decided it had been too long since they'd spent quality time with each other, and had gone out on a date just before dinner, leaving a steaming hot meal prepared for the rest of the family. 

      "I'm bo-ored," Kalea whined, twisting a strand of blonde hair around her finger. 

      "Well do something, then." Fred smiled, raising his eyebrows.

      "If I could think of something to do, I _would_!" she retorted, rolling her eyes.

      "Here, do this, then…" With that, Fred took a massive pillow from the couch and smacked her with it. She, in turn, grabbed another pillow and took a whack at him. The two began viciously assaulting each other with pillows, hiding behind the couches for protection. Finally, Fred roared and took a flying leap, landing on Kalea with all his might and all his pillows, successfully tackling her. At that moment, Hermione and George walked in. 

      "What on EARTH?" Hermione gasped as she saw the mess. Glancing down, she realized Fred was sitting triumphantly on a large pile of pillows. Suddenly he jolted and rolled down on to the floor as Kalea heaved herself out of the pile. 

      "My, my, my…Mum leaves for one minute, and look what happens. Twin, I'm ashamed of you. You should have at least waited for me!!" He grinned. 

      Fred grinned and, almost imperceptibly, blushed. "You gotta take it when it comes, dear brother. And where, may I ask, have you two been?" he questioned, looking pointedly from his brother to Hermione and back again. She blushed scarlet and opened and shut her mouth, unsure of what to say. George put his arm around her and, pulling her close, replied, "Somewhere _you'll_ never be, Gred!" Hermione's eyes widened in shock. She looked desperately at Ron, then Ginny, both of whom were laughing hysterically. 

      "And what if I were to tell you, Forge, that I've been there?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow. 

      "I'd **BEG** you to teach me all your secrets! he retorted. "Without you, I have no power over women!" He faked an overly dramatic sob and collapsed in a heap at his brothers feet. 

      "Come on now, George, tell us the truth…"

      "Hey!! That's a good idea—let's play truth or dare!" Kalea suggested, her eyes lighting up at this; _finally, something interesting!_

"Alright," Ginny smiled, moving the coffee table out of the middle of the room and arranging the pillows in a circle. 

      "But how are we gonna know for sure that everyone's telling the truth?" Ron asked, hoping there would be no answer. He had some things he didn't want anyone—especially his brothers—to find out about. 

      "Aw, does Ickle Ronnikins have something to hide?" George asked, pinching his little brother's cheek. His ears turned bright red, and he muttered, "No…just want to make sure you don't lie…"

      "Alright, how about this? From this minute on, if any of you so much thinks about lying to us in the game or running out when you're dared, you'll become our joke shop guinea pig for the entire rest of the holiday." Fred declared.

      "If you make it that long…" snorted his twin. 

      "HONESTLY, have none of you read anything other than Quidditch Illustrated? If you even call that reading…" Hermione rolled her eyes, exasperated. "All we have to do is perform a truth charm on the room and we'll all be bound to tell the truth, whether we like it or not."  she continued. Everyone nodded in agreement, except Harry who had turned quite pale. _What's with him? _she wondered. 

      "So what do we have to do?" Kalea asked impatiently, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts. 

      "Hmm…sit in a circle on the floor, I'll be right back." She replied. Her friends complied, and she ran upstairs and grabbed her wand. Standing directly outside of the living room, she pointed it at the door and muttered, "Veridias Verdad". 

***** 

      "Alright, I'll go first then. Ginny, truth or dare?" Kalea asked after Hermione returned and sat down. 

      "Truth," she replied, hoping Kalea wouldn't be too mean.

      "You got it…What did you dream about last night?" she asked, an evil glint in her eye. Ginny froze—she couldn't lie, but talk about a dream like that in front of her brothers? 

      "I…"she swallowed. "I dreamed that I was up at the astronomy tower, looking out at the stars—there was a meteor shower, or something, so our class was watching it. I was looking through the telescope and when I turned around, everyone had left, locking the door behind them. None of us had taken our wands, so I couldn't unlock it. I was starting to get nervous when all the sudden Harry—" she blushed scarlet at this, "appeared on his broomstick and got me down. We went riding around the school, then to the Forbidden Forest. We landed at this small clearing in which a candlelight picnic dinner had been set up. We sat down and…"

      "Right, right, that's all we need to hear about that one, now, Ginny." Fred interrupted, clearing his throat. Ron shuddered…it just wasn't _right_ for his baby sister and his best mate to be getting it on out under the stars somewhere, and he didn't particularly want to think about it. 

      "I'll ask then." Ginny replied, relieved. "George, truth or dare?"

      "Dare." He smiled, triumphantly. They weren't going to get into his head _that_ easily. 

      "I dare you to take a picture of yourself wearing only a pair of Kalea's knickers and owl it to the person you were most in love with when you were at Hogwarts." She grinned triumphantly. Kalea laughed and ran upstairs to pick the wildest pair of panties out of her trunk. Ten minutes later, they were taking a picture of a fiercely blushing George wearing naught but a bright pink tiger-striped thong with a lacy finish. Pigwidgeon appeared and, excited by all the hysterical laughter, flew frantically around the room, making it nearly impossible for Ron to catch him. Finally, after much laughing, cursing and a few bruises, they succeeded in sending the picture and a short explanation to his old flame, Angelina Johnson.

      "Now that that's over with, it's my turn to ask. Hermione," he began, turning towards her, "if you had the chance to hex any celebrity, who would it be? And you can't say he-who-must-not-be-named or any of his death eaters…it has to be a film or music celebrity. Oh, and why?" Hermione sat quietly for a moment, then brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, fire flashing from her eyes as she thought of the answer to the question.

      "I would hex Brittany Spears, because she's teaching 13 and 14 year old girls that they have to be anorexic and fake to be considered of any worth. She's instilling immoral values into the minds of people, making them believe that if you get enough plastic surgery and poke enough pieces of metal through your skin, you will succeed. She and people like her are taking all the value out of education and learning, taking all the value out of women's minds—but after all, we're just pieces of meat, right?" She took a deep breath and before she could continue, Ron, thoroughly confused, asked,  

      "Who IS Brittany Spears?" 

      Seeing the look on her face, Kalea jumped in.  "A muggle music celebrity—go on Hermione, ask the next person."

      "Fine," she stated forcefully. She turned to Harry, "Truth or dare?"

      Harry's mind began to frantically go over his options…have to tell the truth and admit his love for Ginny in front of three of her brothers, or humiliate himself in front of everyone? Finally, he drew a breath and stated simply, "Dare."

      "I dare you to…" Hermione's voice trailed off as she thought of a dare. It couldn't be something involving a camera because there wasn't any film left… and she had no desire to see him do a lap dance on anyone. Her eyes wandered, searching for something, anything, that could lead to a dare. Finally, they rested on the refrigerator. _Well, _she thought, _lame is better than nothing. _"I dare you to eat what Fred, George and I make for you." 

      "Alright," Fred nodded appreciatively, elbowing his brother. The three stood, leaving Harry to himself for a few minutes. Finally they returned with a glass full of a steaming bluish-green liquid. He closed his emerald eyes and put the glass to his lips. The putrid smell rose to his face, almost causing him to drop the glass in disgust. Regaining his composure, he screwed up his face and threw the contents down his throat. It burned and tingled like a mild acid, and he was quite disturbed to feel something jelly-like rolling down his tongue. "AUGH," he sputtered. Finally, after a few minutes of reckoning with his stomach and the burning in his throat, he opened his eyes and turned to the group. "Fred—truth," he coughed, "or dare?" 

      Without hesitation, Fred replied, "Truth." 

      "Truth? What's with you, twin, are you feeling ok?" George turned to his brother in surprise. 

      "Ok—if you could only shag one person the rest of your life, who would it be?" Harry questioned pointedly, overcoming his nausea from the pungent mystery drink.

      Fred turned a shade pinker than usual, his face clashing with his fiery orange hair. Finally, taking a breath and casting a sidelong glance at his American friend, he muttered an indistinct reply. 

      "Sorry, didn't understand you, ol' chap… WHO would you want to shag forever?" George grinned, not noticing Kalea's sudden silence. 

      Fred turned towards her, color fading, confidence returning. "Kalea," he whispered. With that, he gently caressed her face and pulled her towards him, secretly thanking God he'd showered and shaved before dinner. To the shock of all, they kissed—slowly at first, but quickly progressed into an all-out snog.

      "Well there goes that game, then…" George snorted, his eyes lit up with amusement. Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up, motioning for the others to do the same. Ginny's mouth hung open in surprise and Ron seemed to be unable to move. His hands were fisted so tightly, his knuckles were white and his face had turned a livid scarlet almost comparable to his worst blush. Hermione was shocked to notice that even his freckles seemed to glow. _Well, _she thought_, I guess we know how he feels now… _she sighed, resigned to loneliness—er, to a difficult, long distance relationship. 

      On their way upstairs, the group stopped in kitchen for a quick snack. Harry's stomach gave a jolt as he saw several onion peels, garlic heads and dirt from a potted plant littering Mrs. Weasley's counter. As he looked closer at the plant, he realized it was crawling with Jelly Slugs—genetically enhanced garden slugs which serve as excellent soil aerators packed full of nutrients and two different types of fertilizer. 

      Hermione laughed to herself as she watched Harry discover the Jelly slugs. His eyes widened and he tore upstairs—_probably to the loo_, she thought. _As if I would have really let the guys put Jelly Slugs into that drink—does no one around here read enough to know that the chemicals in those are poisonous to people? It was a brilliant idea to sprinkle the dirt around though—and the look on his face when he drank that clump of expired raspberry jam…_she cracked up. Suddenly she heard a quiet Tap, Tap, Tap coming from the window. She turned and saw Athena hovering outside, a letter in her claws. Seeing the owl, Ginny quickly ran to the door and let her in. She removed the letter and, handing it to Hermione, gave the tired messenger a treat before letting her fly upstairs to her cage. 

_      A reply from Viktor, a reply from Viktor! _Hermione danced with joy as she tore open the parchment. She scanned the contents of the paper and gasped, the letter fluttering to the floor. 

***** 

**A/N: **OH MY LORD!!!!! I'm **finally **done with that chapter!!! I'm sorry it took so long to get out to you guys—it was the hardest chapter for me to write so far. But can you believe how long it is? I hope that makes up for the delay, to some extent.  What with school starting and all, it's a little hard to stay as on top of this as I'd like…especially since I started failing math because of it! But I don't think you guys minded too much, since only a couple of you reviewed…(*hint, hint—the more reviews, the faster the updates…)

**New Rule:** Ok, so about Hermione charming the room… there are some charms and spells that the Ministry of Magic considers obsolete or completely harmless, and so does not track them. This particular truth charm, as well as many of the pranks, falls under that category. That's why none of them are getting in trouble for using magic outside of Hogwarts… =)

**Virtual chocolate chip cookies **to everyone! Double portions to Muddles who made me laugh—haha, thanks! =)


	7. Of Angels and Bastards

      ******* Disclaimer: See chapter six!!!!**

         Hermione's blood boiled—that jerk! He'd stoop to any level to get at her, how could he, how DARE he go this far?? Of all things to use to hurt her…and why now, in the middle of vacation? Was she such a threat to him that he had to constantly haunt her with his retorts and drawling insults?   So what, she'd gotten better grades than him last year, but this? She screamed, fiercely drowning out the tiny voice in the back of her mind that dared believe the letter. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she thundered up the stairs and went to bed. 

         Ron stared in shock. He hadn't seen her like that since their previous end of term fight…and he'd certainly never witnessed such a violent reaction from a letter. He cringed as Ginny's door slammed, shaking the house down to its foundation. Slowly he strode over to the kitchen and picked up the abandoned parchment. His eyes opened wide and suddenly, he understood her fury. 

_My father is head of the censorship board for the Daily Prophet. I thought you'd like to see tomorrow's headlines ahead of time. Looks like he's finally coming to his senses, eh? Took longer than I thought it would, though…you must be a decent shag after all, mudblood!_

_Draco Malfoy_

 Pasted underneath was the headline to the following day's edition of the Daily Prophet.

***** 

"I can't believe it!"

"Oh dear…" 

"And an _American,_ no less!" Mrs. Weasley tutted. "Oh, no offense to you dear, you're quite the exception, of course…" she added, patting Kalea on the head and bustling back into the kitchen. 

"Well, I must be heading off to work. I'll see you all later tonight." Mr. Weasley pushed back from the table and headed to the study [a cluttered desk in the corner] for his briefcase. He waved one more time and Disapparated, leaving Fred, George, Harry, Ron, Kalea and Ginny alone at the breakfast table. 

"That bastard!" Ginny sighed, angrily throwing that morning's edition of the Daily Prophet back on the table. 

 "Who's a bastard?" Hermione questioned, coming down the steps and into the dining room. She'd woken up late and, when she saw the time,  threw her hair into a messy bun, grabbed a robe and dashed downstairs. Praying she didn't have bad morning breath, she plopped into the empty space between Ron and Ginny and began buttering some toast. 

"Uh… no one…" Ginny replied, unsure of what to say. 

"Gin, you're a really bad liar, you know that?" Hermione rolled her eyes and snatched the paper from her friend's hands. Taking a sip of tea, she scanned the page until her eyes landed on a short article under an ad for gnome repellant. Heart pounding, she began to read.  

**"Bulgarian Seeker Undressed**

**A Desperate Affair Uncovered  **

By C.E. Hastey 

Bulgarian Seeker and International Celebrity Viktor Krum was caught in a compromising position the other night with American model Caprice Bourret. The youngest professional seeker in history was seen leaving the Varenick Bar and Club, allegedly to get a good night's sleep before the next day's match against the Italian Almondegas. An avid fan followed him and alerted Bulgarian reporters when Krum deviated from the road home and turned into the Sakovyar Hotel.   Members of the press arrived just in time to catch Krum red-faced and white-bummed with the blonde superstar. Upon discovery, the seeker fled the scene, leaving a scantily clad Bourret to face the media alone. Both parties decline to comment." 

She paused, quiet—no one moved, unsure of her reaction. Suddenly, to everyone's surprise,  the silence was broken by a snicker, followed by a hearty laugh.  

"Oh, is that the _best_ he can do?!? That prat, stooping as low as that—like I would really believe my boyfriend, MY devoted boyfriend, would cheat on me… I know I'm not the hottest thing this side of Britain, but honestly, he has a little more depth than that. The article sounds like something out of a petty tabloid column, for Merlin's sake." Seeing their confused looks, she continued, trying not to smile any more, "You don't actually believe it, do you?"

"Well…Malfoy is a prat, but…" Harry began. 

"But…Hermione, this is the Daily Prophet we're talking about, not the Quibbler! Their sources and stories are checked and rechecked—everything is very trustworthy!"

"Ginny, are you telling me my boyfriend would cheat on me?" Hermione asked in reply, frustrated at how right her friend was. But there was no way—it was just a tabloid article that Malfoy managed to stick into the Prophet, that's all, she reasoned. If that's all, then why do I still wonder? There's only one real way to find out if this is rumor or not—I'll go to Bulgaria and see him for myself. He wouldn't lie to my face…then I can come back and get this whole thing sorted out. That effing Malfoy…

"Look, tomorrow or the next day, I'll visit him and find out for myself if the article is true or not, alright?" She said, interrupting Ginny's flustered apology. "In the mean time, let's DO something!"

Subject closed, Ron broke the awkward silence by suggesting they have a Quidditch match out back. "Me, Harry and Hermione against you, George and Gin, alright? That is, if you think you can handle it…" Ron smirked at his older brother. 

"Oh, a little cocky are we?" Fred grinned, standing from the table. "How about this—I'll take Hermione and give you George…and bet you a galleon on top of that that we'll STILL win!"

"But GRED, I can't play without you!!" George cried, throwing himself into his brother's arms. 

"I know, Forge…it'll be hard, but we can do it! Be strong, brother, be strong…" the twins embraced, *sobbing* dramatically. Hermione's question ["What do you mean you'll STILL win? What are you implying?!?"] went quite unnoticed over all the fuss the twins were making. After a short, heart warming rendition of "Friends are friends forever", the twins looked grimly at each other. 

"You're going down, sonny." George grinned. Fred clapped him on the back and, smiling, replied, "Meet you out back in 15, loser!" Then he disappeared up the stairs. Following suit, everyone else got up and headed their different directions to prepare for the challenge laid before them. 

Kalea stood and began collecting the dirty dishes from the table. Since she didn't really know how to play Quidditch, there wasn't much she could do until the game started. Then, of course, she would watch and learn… Going in the kitchen, she bumped into Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh honey, you don't have to do that, I'll get it…" the mother smiled as she took the dishes from the young girl's hands. "You just go right out there and relax, alright?"

"No, that's ok…I'd actually _like_ to do the dishes, if you don't mind." Kalea rolled up her robe sleeves and turned on the hot water, unaware of Mrs. Weasley's estranged expression. 

"Well…alright…if you say so, dear. I'll go tidy up the sitting room, then…" Casting the blonde one last curious glance, she left the kitchen. Kalea smiled to herself—she didn't know why, but washing dishes always seemed to sooth her. The blast of steaming hot water, the clatter of the plates… and since most people don't enjoy housework, washing dishes was one of the few opportunities Kalea had to think by herself. 

_Merlin, poor Hermione…What a bastard! Not like she wasn't looking around either, but still…looking and doing are two very different things…she sighed as she passed a dish to the towels, charmed to dry and put things away. Then again, maybe it's not true…but like Ginny said, the Daily Prophet is sure to know the difference between rumor and fact—and the editor certainly wouldn't let an article like THAT just 'slip by' her…  If Hermione has any sense, she'll leave him… but then again, just what if it isn't true? What if it's just a media exploitation of an innocent celebrity and some random supermodel? That kind of thing happens in Muggle news all the time…_ Passing another pan to the towels, she glanced out the window to see Mr. Weasley in the garden, playing with a gnome. Giggling, she continued watching as he hid behind a bush and jumped out, terrifying the potato-like creature. Then she caught a glint in the glass and saw her reflection. _Good Lord, I look like THAT??_ She stood in front of the sink, eyeing herself critically. Sure, she'd been too hungry to shower before eating, but honestly… At least she'd had sense enough to throw her old blue robe over her purple satin pajamas; even if she let it hang open (which she did), at least it was SOMETHING. And her hair—Suddenly a pair of warm hands slithered around her waist and rested on her stomach, causing her to drop the pot she was washing. 

"Scare you?" A deep voice whispered in her ear, sending chills down her spine. Smiling, she turned around and faced her lover. 

"Never… You clomp around so loudly, you couldn't startle the jumpiest person in England." Wrapping her arms around his neck, she reached up and kissed him soundly. 

"So why'd you drop the pot? Couldn't take the heat?" Fred grinned, turning the faucet off behind her and pointing the towels to their rack. 

"Oh you know I can take heat…" she smiled devilishly, evil glinting in her eyes. Snaking his hands inside her robe, he pulled her close and kissed her…gently at first, then harder as she raked her fingers through his short red hair, tongues dueling with delight. Flushed, Kalea pulled back. "How's that for heat?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Voice husky with desire, he replied,  "Not bad…"  and began roughly kissing her neck, sending new waves of deliciously electric shivers through her body. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, feeling nothing but the kisses on her neck and his warm hands, caressing her back. _Merlin, he knows what he's doing…_ Gasping, she opened her eyes and was shocked to see Ginny standing in the doorway, watching them, an amused and slightly sickened look on her face. 

"Fred…stop….Fred…" she whispered, trying to pull away from his hungry lips. 

"Mmm..?" he growled, not looking up. She smelled so good, tasted so sweet…

"FRED!" she pushed him away and nodded towards the door. Following her gaze, he paled as he saw his little sister leaning against the doorframe. 

"Ginny…uhm…" He gulped… "How long have you been there?"

"Let's just say long enough to be scarred for life…" She replied, trying not to laugh.

"I thought you were getting ready for the game…?" Kalea asked as she stepped around Fred.

"I **am** ready… so is everyone else, we're all waiting out back for our captain to get there so we can play… and what are you doing? You're in here, snogging one of my friends senseless. Not like she had much sense to begin with, falling in love with the likes of you…" Ginny snickered, satisfied at their sheepish expressions.  Really, to be snogging like that in the kitchen in broad daylight! Tsk… Fred should know better than that, after the millions of times he'd complained about walking in on Bill or Charlie with their girls…

"Let's go, then?" The American girl asked, breaking the awkward silence. She grabbed her friends arm and, casting a sidelong "we'll finish this later" glance at Fred, headed out the kitchen. 

"Sure…but you might want to take care of those hickies first …" Ginny laughed and continued outside, leaving Kalea blushing violently in front of the mirror. 

******* 

"Time for Tea!!" Mrs. Weasley called out the backdoor, five hours later. Ginny took advantage of the distraction and gripped her broom tight, speeding down the pitch. Swerving around her youngest older brother, she balanced herself with one hand and threw the Quaffle through the highest goal hoop. Turning just in time to see another perfect score, Harry cursed and called time. 

"Ron, why aren't you paying attention?? That's the fifth time today—she's your little sister for Merlin's sake, you should be able to handle her!!" Harry said, frustrated with his best mate. Ron didn't answer but continued to stare off into space. 

She looked so beautiful, he thought as he watched her. Her smile—she'd even freckled just a touch in the sun that day. Her petite frame was perfect—clad only in surf shorts and a bikini top, her gentle curves intrigued him. He tried to pay attention to the game, but found his eyes constantly drawn to her. Harry was saying something to him—but he didn't care. He was mesmerized. 

Suddenly he looked over and reality came crashing in on him. Before he had time to react, a bludger slammed into his stomach and he fell off his broom, completely winded. Shapes and colors swirled around him as he shook himself and tried to stand. No, no good—he fell over again, flat on his back. 

"RON!!!" Hermione tore off her broom and rushed to him. "Ron, are you ok? I am SO, SO sorry!! I didn't think I'd actually hit you, Ron, I'm sorry, are you alright???" she cried, kneeling beside him, Ginny and Kalea with her. 

The world swam around him, voices echoing through to him as though he were underwater. Strangely familiar faces floated above him... a crowd surrounding his body… Then, he saw her, face glowing like an angel. She looked afraid—why afraid?? Don't be afraid, love…I'll protect you, he thought. No, HE'LL protect her…she doesn't need me, she has someone else… but he doesn't appreciate her, he doesn't love her the way I do.. if only.. if only I could… An ice cold splash smacked his face—shaking from the shock, the world around him came quickly into focus again and he found himself lying on the ground, body aching from his fall.  

"Uuughh…" Ron mumbled, coming to. Catching his breath, he was surprised to find Hermione nearly falling apart beside him. 

"RON!! You're alright!!" Hermione cried, relief watching over her. She'd been sure she'd killed him—she could see the headlines now, "[brilliant] Teen witch kills secret love…" or "Sudden death of hot young Quidditch keeper; foul play suspected"…

"'Course he's alright, Hermione, all you did was knock him off his broom…" Ginny said, trying to hide her smile. Obviously Hermione hadn't played many sports growing up…

"Yeah, he's fine… you just destroyed his innards and slammed him into the ground, that's all… he'll be alright, I'm sure…" George snorted. 

"I said, TEA TIME!! And Ron, get up off the ground, you'll get dirty!" Mrs. Weasley yelled out the back door again, unconcerned at her son's apparent unconscious-ness. 

"Right-o, come on chaps, it's tea time. Perhaps afterwards we will play a delightful game of croquet… come sir, lead the way…" Fred said in an old English accent, bowing exaggeratedly to his brother. 

"Indeed, indeed, time for tea and biscuits…" George replied, bowing right back. The two linked arms and, with the air of 18th century English aristocrats, made their way inside. Laughing, Kalea and Ginny followed, pulling Harry alongside—leaving Hermione and Ron alone. 

"Can you get up?" she asked as the others reached the house. 

"Urhm… I… I think…" He replied, trying not to smile. She could be such a girl sometimes, but it was awfully cute... Hermione slid her arms around him and gently helped him up. A light breeze fluttered around them and the sky grew dark as rain clouds blew in. 

"Are you ok?" Hermione looked up at him and placed his arm around her shoulder for support. "I'm so sorry, Ron…I honestly didn't think I'd hit you…"

"YOU fired that bludger at me??" He turned to her, eyes wide. "You've got some arm there, 'Mione—you should be on the team!!" Excited, he broke free from her and spun around. "You've gotta try out this year, why haven't you ever played before??" He grinned…then paused as her eyes narrowed. 

"RONALD WEASELY, are you hurt or not?!?" she shrieked, indignant. Immediately realization struck him; he limped over to her and, moaning in pain, put his arm around her again. Furious, she spun out of his reach, causing him to fall over again. 

"You were just FAKING??? WHY were you FAKING?" she questioned, heart pounding… he didn't know about her secret crush, did he?? He couldn't know, she hadn't told anyone…she turned pale at the thought. No, he didn't know, of course not… he was just being stupid again… she tapped her foot, waiting for an answer. 

"Well it really did hurt…" He responded, breathing heavily as he pulled himself to his feet again. "And you were so worried, I didn't want you to be disappointed…" he grinned sheepishly and approached her. "I'm sorry, 'Mione…"

"You prat! I felt _terrible_, thought I'd killed you or something!! Don't you EVER do that to me again, Ronald!!" she turned on her heel and began walking to the house, fuming. 

"Hermione, wait—I really am sorry…you were just all cute and worried, I didn't want to disappoint you…" he called. Catching up to her, he continued, "Besides, you really do have a good arm. I meant what I said about trying out as beater this year…" 

"Oh don't be ridiculous, Ron…there's no strategy in being beater, it's all brute force. I might have knocked you off your broom, but that's not saying much—you weren't even paying attention. Besides, it's NEWT year and we have much more important things to do than play Quidditch. **You** should consider not being on the team this year—focus on studying instead!" He pulled the door open for her and followed her inside, stomach growling. 

"So what took you two so long out there?" Harry questioned, amused, as the two approached. Hermione's face was flushed and Ron grinned, rolling his eyes.  

"Were you really hurt that badly??" Kalea asked innocently, Ginny at her side, trying not to laugh. 

"No, the prat was FAKING… now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to freshen up!" Hermione, still irritated, glared at him and stomped upstairs. 

"Faking, eh? That's our boy…" Fred laughed, elbowing his little brother. 

"Awww, does Ickle Ronnikins have a CRUSH?" George teased, pinching Ron's cheeks. 

"Oh Hermione, I'm hurt, I'm hurt!" Fred fell over in mock pain. 

"Oh Ronnikins, I'll save you!" his twin replied in a high voice, before jumping onto Fred. "Oh Ronny, I LOVE you SOO much!"

"Oh Hermione!!" The two began making exaggerated kissy sounds from under the table. 

"Alright, alright you two, come off it…" Ron replied, ears red. "I don't like Hermione, so you two can just shut up..."

"Oooh, a little touchy about this are we?" They replied, sitting back down at the table, laughing. Little did anyone know, a certain brunette stood in the shadows of the stair way, hearing everything they said. Quietly, she turned and went back upstairs, heart in her throat.

***** 

**A/N: **Aaaaand there you have it, the FINAL rewrite of this stupid chapter!! Haha I'm so so sorry to have put you through all the other ones… but they just weren't right!! I'll try to have the next chapter written and posted sometime this week so I can start making up for how long it's been taking me to update!! Then again, no one's read the story in forever, so it's not like you've even noticed… *sniff* *sob* haha jk. =) REVIEW!!!!


	8. Surprises

**Disclaimer:** I get no money for this. I wish I did. I could use it. All money and fame and fan worship go to JK Rowling. Tsk, some people get all the luck… *sniff*

Hmm… sorry for any strange formatting in this chapter, fanfic.net is being weird and uncooperative…

******* 

       The smell of fresh coffee drifted lazily up the stairs, waking the pretty blonde. Yawning, she rolled over and prodded the bundle of blankets and bushy brown hair beside her.

       "Mmm?" Hermione mumbled.

       "Wake up miss sunshine!" Kalea whispered brightly. "It's breakfast time—do you want the shower first? I don't mind going down in my PJs…" she added slyly.  

       "Uhm… sure, I guess…" she replied numbly, sitting up. 

       "Hermione, your eyes are all red—are you ok? You don't have pink eye, do you?"

       "Oh—uh…no, I just…got some dust in my eye yesterday…" she replied, avoiding Kalea's gaze. Before she could ask her anymore questions, Hermione grabbed a towel and went in the bathroom, quickly shutting the door. 

       "Ooohkay, then…" Kalea said as the bathroom lock clicked. Something's up with that girl, she'd decided, after she hadn't returned from *freshening up* the night before. Hearing bacon sizzling downstairs, she stood and pulled on her robe, making sure to brush her hair and wipe off yesterday's eye make up before going to breakfast.

       Breathing a sigh of relief, Hermione turned on the light and looked in the mirror. She looked like hell, her eyes bloodshot and puffy, her hair a tangled mess. Ron's words game back to her, echoing in her mind: "I don't like Hermione, so you two can just shut up! I don't like Hermione, so you two can just shut up! I don't like Hermione…" they repeated over and over, like a broken record. 

"It's no wonder he doesn't like me, she thought, glaring at her reflection and turning on the shower. "I'm nothing compared to Lavender, Parvati, or even Kalea! Cursing, she threw her pajamas on the floor and stepped under the viciously hot water. "But I don't care--of COURSE he shouldn't like me, I have a bloody boyfriend, that I'm bloody well happy with! He's smar--well, he's handso--well, he's sincere, he loves me and I love him! Disgusted with her emotions in spite of all reason, she took a few deep breaths, letting the fiery hot spray pummel her, purifying her from the hurt and frustration of her love life.
    
    ***** 

       The room smelled like… coconuts, Harry decided, as he tip toed inside. Well, something tropical at least—definitely better than whatever smell plagued his and Ron's room. He smiled—girls always seemed to smell good, even if it was just their shampoo.  He quickly scanned the room for signs of life—the bathroom door was shut, the shower raging. And…there she was. Snoring lightly, Ginny lay tangled up in her sheets, crimson hair sparkling in the morning sunlight.  He smiled—she'd probably be embarrassed at being seen like this, but he couldn't think of anything more beautiful. He quietly sat on the bed beside her and gently stroked her face. Her eyes fluttered—she was dreaming. Leaning down, he lightly pressed his lips to hers, taking in her sweetness. 

       "Harry?" she whispered, surprised as he pulled back. 

       "Good morning, love." He smiled and kissed her forehead.

       "What are you doing here? Where are the girls?" 

       "Hermione's in the shower and Kalea's downstairs. You're missing breakfast, you know…" 

       "Oh Merlin, look at me, I'm a mess!" she blushed and ducked under the covers. 

       Laughing, Harry pulled them down. "Ginny, you're not a mess. You're as lovely as the sunrise and as unpredictable as the storm. If I didn't have you, I'd…mourn?" 

       Ginny burst out laughing, and replied in a sugary voice, "Oh Harry, your eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad!" she giggled and stretched, rolling on to her back. Grinning, he leaned down and kissed her again. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer and opened her mouth, surrendering to his warmth. "Not a bad way to wake up," she thought to herself, as he moved down, kissing her jaw…then her neck. Harry trailed kisses to her collar bone and back up to the honey sweetness of her soft, pouty lips, careful not to leave any marks on her smooth skin. She kissed him back with a fervor that made him wonder just what she'd been dreaming about before…raking her fingers through his spiky hair, she flecked her tongue across his lips, radiating hundreds of tiny chills through his body. He sucked lightly on her bottom lip, eliciting a small moan as she soaked in his gentle romancing.  Suddenly a loud crack sounded through the room, making the couple jump. 

       "What was that??" Harry asked, heart pounding. He could just picture Fred or George or—worse, Ron—finding them in this *compromising* position. Ginny sat up, flushed. Another crash—from the bathroom. Relieved, the redhead smiled. 

       "It's Hermione…listen, the shower's off..."

       "Yeah…let's go down to breakfast before she comes out."

       "Alright…" she stood and quickly pulled her hair up. "Oh, Harry?" she called, approaching him by the door. 

       "Yeah?"

       She grabbed his face and kissed him deeply, leaving him breathless. "Thanks for the wake up call." Winking evilly, she turned and trotted down the steps, leaving him grinning stupidly in the hall. 

***** 

       Hermione stooped to pick up the picture and the pieces of its frame from the floor. Stupid thing, she muttered, glaring at the now annoyed faces of Ginny and some of the girls from her year, standing in front of Honeydukes. There was one she didn't quite recognize—a very pretty one with long, black curly hair and bright greyish blue eyes. She was going between scowling at Hermione and laughing at Ginny and the others for being so upset. Her thick winter robe bore the Ravenclaw house seal, her blue scarf protecting her from the snow falling merrily around them. Still irritated at having knocked it down, Hermione set the picture on the sink and dried herself off—accidentally knocking the shampoo, conditioner and various soaps into the tub. She rolled her eyes and put them in their place. "Honestly, Hermione," she scolded herself, "What is the big deal? You don't like him and he doesn't like you. Thank Merlin—you should be relieved! After all, the last thing you need is some complicated love triangle right before your N.E.W.T.S…" Not convinced, she sighed, pushed open the door and peeked out. 

       The room was empty, the door wide open. Stepping carefully over the clothes strewn around the floor, she poked her head into the hall and, hearing the girls' voices downstairs, turned around and gently closed the door. Tossing her towel on the bed, she stretched—there was something so refreshing about wandering around naked. It was so…natural, she decided. Standing in front of the mirror, she grabbed her brush and ran it through her long chestnut curls. "I really should cut this mop before school starts," she decided. A bird twittered outside—it was a beautiful day…perfect for a picnic or a leisurely afternoon of reading in the garden. Water trickled down her back, sending shivers down her spine. She'd decided to do her best to forget this whole thing about Ron. Viktor was her man, after all, and even if he wasn't the brightest or hottest thing to cross the wire lately, she was mature enough to see beyond the superficial and into his sweet spirit. 

       Her heart froze as the doorknob rattled—she turned just in time to see the door opening, a fleck of red slightly visible in the hall. She quickly dove behind the bed and crawled underneath it, praying there wasn't anything gross down there with her. Holding her breath, she watched a pair of feet in hole-filled socks shuffle into the room. A dresser drawer creaked open and a deep male voice whispered a spell. "What in Merlin's name is going on?" she wondered. She was dying to say something, but remembered her nakedness and remained silent. She watched as the closet door opened and heard the spell repeated there—what was he doing? The feet returned to the hall, the door closing quietly behind them, once again leaving Hermione alone in the bedroom. Quickly crawling out from under the bed, she rushed to the door and, poking her head out, watched as George hopped up the stairs to his room. 

***** 

       "Ah, finally dear—I was just telling everyone that we need to go to Diagon Alley this afternoon so you can pick up your supplies while I run some other errands." Mrs. Weasley smiled, handing Hermione her Hogwarts letter. She sat at the empty seat between Ginny and Ron, looking suspiciously at George. He glanced up and, meeting her gaze, shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Grabbing another pancake, he turned away from her, occupying himself with spreading butter and jam over it. 

       "So we'll be leaving in about an hour," she continued, "I'll just Apparate, do what I need to do—I'll leave you money and you lot can Floo—then we'll meet at three by Flourish & Blotts, alright?" 

       "Sure, Mum, Flourish & Blotts, gotcha…" Ron replied. 

       "And you two—" the plump woman began, turning on Fred and George, eyes narrowed. "Don't even think of getting into any trouble—and no hanging about that joke supplies shop, what's it called? Zonko's?"

       "It's Wonko's, Mum… Zonko's is in Hogsmeade." George replied, rolling his eyes. Honestly, what made her think they'd get into trouble? Did they ever…ok, bad question. But really…

       Suddenly Hermione shrieked—she looked up at them, grinning madly, eyes brimming with tears. 

       "What is it, 'Mione??" Harry asked, startled. Unable to reply, she handed him her Hogwarts letter. He read aloud: 

       "_Dear Miss Granger, _

_              Due to your previous exemplary performance, excellent marks and more than satisfactory completion of your Prefect duties,  I,  and all the staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, are proud to announce that you have been selected  as this year's Head Girl. Congratulations. _

_              Please note that the new school year will begin once again on September 1st. The Hogwarts Express will depart from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock. Precisely one hour after leaving, please report to the first car to meet the Head Boy and give the Prefects their instructions._

_              Once again, congratulations. We expect you to perform famously in this honourable position. A list of books for this next year is also enclosed. _

_              Yours sincerely, _

_       Professor McGonagall_

_       Deputy Headmistress_"

       "Excellent!!" Ron exclaimed, patting the glowing brunette on the back. 

       "Oh Hermione, I'm so happy for you!! Congratulations!!" Ginny squealed, hugging her friend. 

       "That's marvelous—oh we MUST celebrate! I'll make a special dinner! What's your favourite food, dear?" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, ecstatic.  

       "Wonder who's Head Boy, eh?" Fred mused, as Kalea examined the Head Girl badge. 

       "Probably that Malfoy git—he's got perfect grades and enough money to pay anyone off…" 

       "Ron! I don't care how he acts, you shouldn't call him that. And you know perfectly well Dumbledore is above accepting bribes." His mother tutted before going to get ready for the day.

       "Yeah, yeah…" he muttered, opening his own letter. 

       "Well, I'm gonna go… shower. Congrats, Hermione, really." Kalea smiled brightly and hopped up, glancing quickly at Fred before disappearing upstairs.  

       After a pause, Fred stretched and said "Umm.. that's probably a good idea, you know, to shower before going out…" he smiled awkwardly before bounding up the stairs after her. Once he was out of earshot, someone snorted and everyone lost it, erupting into laughter.   

       "Discreet, those two, eh?" George snickered. 

       "Good thing Mum wasn't here to see that…"

       "At least you didn't walk IN on them!! Yesterday I walked in the kitchen and there they were, practically inside each other's clothes!" Ginny exclaimed, a disgusted look on her face. Harry snarked his milk, spraying Hermione and half the table. 

       "Eeewww, you're gonna pay for that one, Potter!" she cried, grabbing a handful of grits (made especially for Kalea) and throwing them on him. 

       "Food fight!!" Ron yelled as Harry retaliated, smacking her in the face with a pancake.  The next few minutes were all out war as various breakfast items flew across the room, spattering all over the floor and each other's faces. 

       "WHAT is going on here?!?" Mr. Weasley's voice thundered over the racket. 

       "Oh…erm.. Hi, Dad…" Ginny said as the room fell silent, sticking her egg-covered head out from under the table. "We're…having a food fight…"

       "A food fight, eh? Well, who started it?" Hermione sheepishly stood up, Harry by her side, each covered in assorted unidentifiable foods. 

       "I…I started it, Sir…" she replied quietly. 

       "_We_ started it, actually…" Harry spoke up. 

       "I'm soo sorry though, I don't know what came over me! I promise I'll clean up the whole room—" Hermione gushed, eyes wide.

       "Oh no, please, carry on…" Arthur grinned, surprised at the culprit. "I was just curious as to who started the fight. It would seem that after all this time, our boys are finally having an influence on you—though I'm not sure that's a _good_ thing…" he commented, eyes twinkling. "But don't let Molly find you all like this, or you _will_ be in trouble." Chuckling, he grabbed his briefcase. "Well, I'm off to work. Cheerio!" and with that, he Disapparated. The room was quiet for a minute—no one quite sure what to say. 

       "I…guess we should clean up…then…" Hermione said, bending down to pick up a couple strips of greasy bacon from the floor. A lone tart flew through the air, hitting and sticking to her bum. She turned, and, as it slowly slid down her pants, glared at the one who threw it. Dare glinting in his eyes, George grabbed another tart and prepared to fire when suddenly he was slammed to the floor, completely winded. Ron, Harry and Ginny gaped in shock, then burst out whistling and laughing as Hermione stood from sudden, yet effective her tackle. 

       "Awww, whatsa matter Georgie-Porgie? Get beat up by a girl?" Ron asked, thrilled at having a chance to tease his brother.  "She should definitely go out for beater…" he thought to himself, grinning in awe, before turning to mock his brother some more. 

       "She's…strong…" George grunted, sprawled out on his back.

       "Yeah, probably because of all those books she's always carrying around…" Harry smiled. Turning to her, he asked, "No, but really—who are you, and what have you done with _our_ Hermione?" Slightly pink, she opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted. 

       "Be careful, Harry, she might bite…" Ron smirked, starting to clean up again. 

       "Relax, everyone," George said, recovering from the shock and standing up. "She just finally gave in—no one can resist my natural boyish charm, and she had to have me—in some form or other…" He grinned proudly, though his heart was pounding. "Hermione, love, if you want me that much, all you have to do is ask…"  

       "Hm…remind me of that when we're the last two people on the planet, alright, '_love_'?" She winked at him and continued cleaning up, blushing at the approving laughter and applause of her friends. What had gotten into her, anyway? Honestly, tackling him like that… Well, he WAS asking for it, she reasoned. But still…this was so completely unlike her! And yet…it was SO much fun… she laughed, remembering the night they'd pranked the boys. This was definitely Kalea's fault. She'd have to thank her later. Who knew she had it in her? But really, I'm Head Girl, I have to set an example…I'm HEAD GIRL!! She giggled to herself, oblivious to the conversation of the others—she'd been hoping, and working hard…and now she was finally in the same league as Gwendolynne Baërs, the first Hogwarts Head Girl. On top of that, she had to get serious and start studying for N.E.W.T.S. once they got their books. She only had nine months left to prepare. NINE MONTHS?? Hermione's heart dropped—that wasn't a lot—she had to work out a schedule for how much studying she'd need to do, beginning tonight. Wiping up one more glop of jelly, she washed her hands and, grabbing her school letter and badge (yay!), ran upstairs. 

       Ginny and Ron had begun rolling muffins down the length of the table, racing. George, though seeming slightly distracted, was acting as judge and commentator. Ginny, from the looks of it, was winning. The dark haired boy laughed as he watched his girlfriend cheer the muffin on, then perform an…*interesting* victory dance as her biscuit rolled off the table first. 

       Harry grabbed the Hogwarts letters and cleaned them off as best he could, taking special care of the badges. Both Ginny and Ron had been selected as Prefects once again, and he couldn't help but feel a twang of jealousy. He'd been a good student, too—well, as good as Ron, anyway… But Dumbledore was right. They couldn't afford for Harry to have more information than he already did, what with Voldemort being able to get into his mind. But now that he'd been defeated…Harry sighed. Apparently you were chosen as a prefect during your fifth year or not at all. Ah well, it was no big deal—he just had more time to devote to pranks and Quidditch…and Ginny. Spirit rising at the thought of the surprises and things he could plan for his girl, he too finished cleaning and headed up for a shower. 

***** 

       An hour later, the dining room was (relatively) clean and the six teenagers stood in front of the fire, ready to Floo to Diagon Alley. Mrs. Weasley had left early, something about needing to find a special blood stain removing spell. 

       "Ready to go?"  Fred asked, grabbing a handful of floo powder from the mantel.

       "I still can't believe you guys had a food fight without me!" Kalea whined. 

       "Hey, it's not our fault you were too busy *showering*…" George retorted, making her blush. 

       "Honestly.." Ginny rolled her eyes and stepped into the fireplace. 

       Once they'd all arrived in Diagon Alley, they set off for Quality Quidditch Supplies to check out the newest arrivals. Ron had read something in _The Chudley Cannons Biweekly Magazine_ about a recently released prototype broom. 

       "Look!" Hermione exclaimed, pointing to the left. 

       "What, what, do you see it? Where is it?" Ron asked, bounding to her and following her gaze. 

       "No, Ron—it's _better_ than a broom!"

       "BETTER than a BROOM?" eyes wide, he could hardly wait for whatever it was she was seeing. 

       "Yeah, look, it's right over there!" She grinned, excited. She'd waited ALL of summer vacation for this and now she was dying to go inside.

       "What are you talking about, 'Mione?" He asked, confused. The others had continued on, leaving them alone in the crowd. 

       "That—over there—O'Dell's Book Nook!" Beaming, she grabbed his arm and dragged him inside. 

       "…O'Dell's Book Nook? Hermione, you got me all excited about…this?" He looked around him, shocked at the state of the store. It looked a bit like his room, really—except that it was full of books. They lined two stories of walls and bookshelves,  lay spread out over tables and chairs, counters and desk tops. Big, puffy, dark green chairs had been placed randomly throughout the dark, narrow room, and candlelight sparkled merrily on the walls. It was a cozy room, really, once you got used to all the books—and that distinct 'old book' smell. Glancing at his companion, he wasn't surprised to see her eyes wide and jaw slightly dropped. Closing his own mouth, he looked around once more, then commented, "This is…some place."

       "Are you kidding? This is THE place—I found it a year or two ago, Christmas shopping. Every time I come in here, I can't help but stare—it's as though O'Dell reached into my dreams and materialized them with this store." She breathed, glowing.

       "Uhm…sure, Hermione…" Ron shifted uncomfortably and glanced outside. "Look, I'm gonna go on to Quality Quidditch Supplies, alright?"

       "Uh huh…" she responded absently, approaching on the shelves, fingering a particularly thick, gold lettered book. 

       Rolling his eyes, Ron turned around and stepped outside the shop. Hermione might have become more playful, but she was still the same girl at heart, he thought as he blinked, readjusting to the bright sunlight. Rubbing his eyes, he banged into something solid, knocking it to the ground. 

       "Merlin!" the young woman exclaimed, standing up and wiping herself off. 

       "I'm so sorry," he quickly stooped down to help her pick up her things. "I didn't see—" Glancing up, he found himself face to face with a beautiful dark haired girl, her grey blue eyes staring back at him in surprise and anger. 

       "Jessica?" 

       "Ron!" With a furious glare, she slapped him across the face.

**** 

**A/N**: Yeah yeah yeah, it's been forever, I know. I'd actually started to _miss_ my fic… but I've been SO busy lately—and kind of hard up for ideas. Oh well, I think I've lost most of you with the huge delay—I apologize, and hope you're still out there! *sniff* PLEASE review, alright? For those of you that I _haven't_ lost, thanks for your suggestions and comments! =)

Btw, for those of you who don't know this…I completely revamped the last chapter, un-killing Krum and whatever. It's totally different. If you haven't read it, do so or you won't know what's going on here, ok? 

Hope you enjoyed this nice, long chapter that I wrote while I was supposed to be writing my Russian Lit term paper!


	9. Diagon Alley

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter or anything related to it. Thanks for rubbing it in my face. =P

**A/N: **Hm. This may be confusing, so I'm gonna 'splain it. Conflicting Adoration is only canon up to GoF, but _some_ things from OotP _did_ happen. For example, the Prefect stuff, the Order of the Phoenix and the problems with Percy all happened. Delores Umbridge did go to Hogwarts, and the twins did just leave at the end of the year…(But chose to keep their business as mail order until they found the perfect spot to set up an actual shop…and it's still a secret from Mrs. Weasley). The other things, though,  relating more to Voldemort, like Sirius' death, didn't happen. Mainly because I can't stand to have him constantly depressed and really didn't like him in book five. So sorry if this is terribly confusing! Just lemme know if there are any other questions as to what's going on, alright? 

Also, there is a teeeeeeeensy part where someone imitates a gay guy. Please don't be offended! =) 

***** 

       "What the fu—" Ron shouted, cheek stinging. 

       "That's for the way you treated me end of term," she snarled, cutting him off. 

       "I may have been an ass, but that was then, what the hell is your problem NOW?!"

       "I didn't want you to think you'd gotten away with what you did—" she replied, anger fading into hurt. "Merlin, Ron, you were the best thing that'd ever happened to me, and when I trusted you, you ripped me apart!"

Ron sighed, the familiar cold seeping into his stomach as he remembered what he'd put her through. There was no doubt that she was beautiful, smart, funny—the perfect woman…for someone else. 

"Jess…" he began, "Do you want to go somewhere and talk?" he asked quietly, realizing he'd never explained or apologized for his actions. She looked at him for a second, not sure she _wanted _anexplanation, a confirmation of her suspicions…

"Ron?" Hermione came out of the shop, a large bag of books in tow. "I thought you were going to Quality Quidditch whatever…?" she asked, looking from him to the girl next to him. That girl…seemed slightly…familiar..

"Hermione?" Ron looked up, surprised she'd come out so quickly—must've run out of money, he mused. Oblivious to the awkward moment, he began thinking about the irony of the situation—the way she always yelled at him to not spend every last sickle on Quidditch supplies.. and here she was, spending all her spare change on books…

Rolling her eyes, Hermione stepped forward and introduced herself to the girl. Honestly, guys could be such idiots, just standing there. Of all the…wait! Looking closely at the girl, she realized—that face—it was just like that one in the picture…

"Are you a friend of Ginny's?" she asked, sure she was right. But what could she have to do with Ron? It wasn't like him to go after his little sister's friends—unless, of course, he was in 'over-protective' mode and the aforementioned friends were guys…

"Yeah, I'm in her year…Ravenclaw." she replied, voice shaking.  

"OY! There you are—Ron, mate, you missed a bloody brilliant demonstration of the new Falcon 5-0! Beautiful broom, that one…" Fred and Kalea appeared hand in hand, George trailing behind. 

"Need a hand with that, Hermione?" George asked, eyes lighting up at an excuse to get away from the lovebirds. 

"Uhm…sure, thanks…" she replied, handing the bag to him. It was a bit heavier than he'd expected, apparently, and she tried not to laugh as he dropped it on his foot. Trying to be as smooth as possible, he hoisted it over his shoulder, nearly knocking Kalea down. Ears red, he stepped behind her so as not to hurt anyone else. 

Meanwhile, it seemed as though Ron had finally come to his senses. "Where's Harry?" He asked. 

"He's at Gringotts…" Kalea replied. 

"Or at the Owlery?" Fred asked, turning to her, a confused look on her face.

"I dunno…"

"We lost HARRY POTTER?!?" George cried out in mock panic.

"Relax, he can take care of himself…" Hermione replied, rolling her eyes. _Honestly._

"Sure, or Ginny can take care of him…" He snickered—as if those two thought they could keep their new found relationship a secret. Those extendable ears combined with the butterfly long distance carriers were really handy sometimes…

"Yeah well he'd better take care of her, or we'll take care of him…" Fred smirked, eyes dark. 

"Uhm…I'd better…get going…" Jessica spoke up amid the chattering confusion. 

"Nice meeting you." Hermione smiled. 

"Er…yeah. Sorry 'bout knocking you over…" Ron nodded lamely. She said goodbye and, disappearing into the crowd, turned just long enough to give him one last meaningful look. 

"I'm gonna go find Harry, then…" Ron mumbled before heading off in the direction of the bank. 

"Yeah…well, we're gonna go to Fortescue's for some ice cream before meeting Mum at Flourish & Blotts…" Fred grinned and, winking at his brother, led a blushing Kalea in the opposite direction. 

"Well…Guess it's just you and me now, eh? Shall we?" Bowing slightly, he offered her his arm. Intrigued, she took it and smiled. This was going to be an interesting day…

***** 

"Harry…" Ginny giggled as he pushed her against the wall, roughly kissing her neck. 

"What?" he paused long enough to look into her endlessly deep chocolate eyes, sparkling with love and humour. 

"We're going to get caught, that's what…" she replied, trying to squirm out of his grasp without knocking down any of the potions on the shelf beside them. 

"No we won't…we're on the upper level of Potions and Dangerous Notions, for Merlin's sake…none of your family comes into Knockturn Alley, let alone a dark potions shop…" he smiled. 

"Well…" she looked around, biting her lip. "Good point…" She quickly leaned up and caught his lips in a full, sweet kiss. Somewhere below, a bell tinkled and an old gypsy woman appeared to greet her customer. Harry turned to make sure they were still hidden from sight when he recognized who had entered the store.

Standing at the counter was Percy Weasley.

*****  

Finally three o'clock, everyone gathered at Flourish & Blotts with nothing left but books to buy. 

"Well, how was your day?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she bustled the group inside. Grinning, she surveyed her children—which all of them were, in some form or other. Fred and Kalea stood close together, hair slightly disheveled, grinning madly. Good, she thought, I thought there'd been sparks when he came back from America. I'll have to write Bridget and tell her she was right—her daughter and my son, together alright… just like she'd predicted.

Not listening to anything anyone was saying, she shifted her gaze to her youngest son. He seemed quiet, pensive. Not sure what to think, she turned to Harry and smiled as she saw the way he looked at Ginny. She was saying something…something about _that son_, she felt her chest go cold at the thought of him,and knocking eternally. Sure, honey, whatever you say…she nodded mindlessly as her attention moved to Hermione and…George? Well this was certainly unexpected… George stood beside her, watching her with worry and…well, _something_ in his eyes. She seemed upset, slightly pale and it was obvious she was lost in her thoughts. Wonder what that's all about, poor dear… possibly that wretched boyfriend of hers… She should just go and dump him once and for—

"MUM!" Ginny said, exasperated, bringing Molly Weasley out of her reverie. 

"What, what is it dear, are you alright??" she replied, shaking herself out of her thoughts. 

"We asked if we could get our books now…" Ron said, looking at her strangely. 

"Oh, certainly…Go on, I'll be in the Culinary aisle, just call me when you're all ready." She nodded and shuffled to the nearby shelf and began examining Tommy Lockhart's _1001 Magical Cooking Solutions_. Tsk, such a pity, that poor Gilderoy being in that accident—lucky his brother took up the business… she put the book down and grabbed one next to it—Tommy Lockhart's _Collection of International Magical Recipes_. Glancing at the price, she sighed and placed it back on the shelf. Maybe I'll come back when the kids are in school…she mused, when a thought struck her. The kids…she wanted to know what was going on, if anything, between George and Hermione, right? So why not find out? Pleased with her own brilliance, she glanced around. Seeing no one and feeling like a student in Hogwarts again, she quietly crept toward the School Section of the store. After minutes of dodging clerks and other customers, she managed to sneak up to the shelf directly behind Harry, Hermione and Ron. Ginny and Kalea were a bit farther down, towards the Divination counter, giggling about something or other. Turning back to the trio in front of her, she crouched down and listened intently.  

"_Advanced Charms and Spells, _by Annabelle Lacious.." Hermione read off their book list. 

"Got it," Ron replied as he and Harry strained to put four copies of the immense book into their basket. 

"_Advanced Charms and Spells, _by Annabelle Lacious," she continued. 

"Hermione, we've already got it—" Ron repeated, pointing at the copies dumped unceremoniously in their cart. 

"Hmm?" She looked up. "Oh, right…sorry…" She reddened slightly and looked back at the list. 

"Are you ok? You seem distracted…" Harry asked, leaning against the shelf. 

"Of course I am, I'm not distracted, why would you think I'm distracted? Do I seem distracted to you? I'm not distracted, I'm focused and right here with you…" she trailed off in a slightly higher pitched voice than normal. Exchanging looks, the boys smirked and crossed their arms. 

"We're not buying it."

"Not buying…oh bugger." With an air of resignation, she pulled them farther away from the chattering girls. Aha, thought Mrs. Weasley, now we find out everything! This is gonna be good… she could hardly contain herself as she followed them, crouching and creeping without a sound. 

"…Molly?" The aging redhead jumped at the sound of her name. Slowly turning her head, she was shocked to see Remus Lupin towering above her. 

"Are you quite alright?" He asked, looking down at her with genuine concern. Face reddening, she pulled herself up. 

"Remus—I wasn't expecting to…to see you here…" She brushed herself off with an air of surprised dignity. "I was merely examining the books…there…" She replied, grabbing the first one she saw—a white one with silver lettering. 

"_Vampires and Werewolves—Creatures of the Night_," He read. "Interesting choice…" his eyes sparkled with amusement as he watched her turn at least five shades redder than her hair. Glancing past her, he could see Ron, Harry and Hermione on the other side of the shelf, pulled together, discussing something in hushed voices. Suspecting she was anxious to spy on them, he decided to take her off their hands and asked her to join him for coffee. 

"Oh, no, I should stay here, the kids will be ready in a moment…" she stammered, anxious to hear what the three were whispering about.

"No, no, I insist. We'll sit in the coffee alcove over there, they'll see us." He smiled. Casting one last disappointed and curious glance at the trio, she sighed and followed him. 

*****  

Finally home, Ron and Harry tramped into their room and dumped their things on the floor before falling flat on their beds. Eyes closed, Harry sighed. It had been a great day, he'd decided…

"Eh, Ron? Why weren't you at Quality Quidditch Supplies with us? I turned to tell you something and you disappeared…" He asked. After a moment, Ron responded in a lazy voice, 

"'Mione dragged me off to some bookstore…and then I ran into Jessica on my way out…"

"Jessica?" Harry gave a low whistle and sat up, brow furrowed. "What happened?"

"Nothing, really…slapped me, almost started crying—then everyone else came up before we could really talk about it…" Harry snorted at the resigned tone of his best mate. 

"Well, you _were_ a complete…"

"Ass? I know, and it's pretty obvious she knows," he finished. "But what I don't get is why it's still such a big deal…it was bloody sixth year, for Merlin's sake. Why do women have to make everything so prolonged and emotional? I was an ass, so punch me and move on with it, already!" He said as he stood, ears red. Harry, a smile twitching on his lips, watched as Ron paced across the room.

"Women… You know, you could always ask Hermione what you should do." Harry suggested. 

He wheeled around—"Ask Hermione? If I asked her now, I'd have to explain the whole situation—it would take too much time and trouble…besides, she'd probably side with Jess, you know how girls are!"

"You could have told her from the beginning, you know…instead of keeping it secret…"

"I wasn't keeping it secret! Hermione is…well, Hermione! She doesn't care about the girls I date, she cares that I study properly and that everything is fine…"

"And is it?" Harry questioned, eyebrows raised. Ron was his closest friend, but even he had to admit the Weasley could be thick-headed, sometimes. Alright, all times when it came to Hermione. 

"It wa—oh, shut it, you…" Ron's eyes darkened and he sat down on his bed in a huff. Harry snorted and couldn't help but laugh. After a minute, Ron joined him and their laughter echoed down the stairs. 

***** 

"Wonder what _they're_ laughing about," Kalea said, laughter drifting down the hall as she took the clippies out of her hair. Hermione and Ginny lay sprawled about the room, completely beat. 

"Do you actually _want_ to know?" Hermione asked wryly. "You never can tell with them…" It was quiet for a moment, until Ginny broke the silence. 

"I wonder why Mum didn't say anything about us seeing Percy in that shop?" 

"**I** wonder why she didn't say anything about you being in Knockturn Alley!" 

"I told you, I'd just gone to pick out some ingredients I couldn't find at the other apothecary…"

"Riiight… and that mark on your neck is a mosquito bite, right?" Kalea snickered as Ginny blushed. Hermione sat up and absently took off her shirt, pulling another from the top of her trunk. 

"So Hermione, what's up with George lately, eh?" Kalea plopped down on the bed, eyes wide with interest. 

Blushing, Hermione replied in a quiet voice, "Nothing…"

"Oh come on, we've both noticed—what's going on??" Ginny questioned, pulling herself up on her elbows. What happened to Ron?? 

"Actually, honestly, I have no idea—it's like this morning he woke up and decided he'd talk to me, or something…" she trailed off, eyes narrowed as she thought.

"More like he woke up and decided to be smitten with you—I've never seen him act like this… I thought he was all about Angelina, remember?" 

"Yeah," Ginny replied, "But the dare was to send the picture to whoever he'd been most in love with _when he was at Hogwarts_. I think after they left and Fred went out with her for a while, he got over it…"

"Mmm…well, he's a good guy, Hermione—handsome, funny, sweet…" Kalea grinned, while Ginny pretended to gag. Heart beating, Hermione went over the day in her mind. He'd escorted her to the Apothecary for her potions ingredients, making her laugh at his brilliant imitations of Snape. Then they'd gone to Madam Malkin's for some new robes and, surprisingly enough, he didn't get bored or irritated at shopping for clothes. In fact, he stood back and critiqued each outfit she tried on with the tone of a host from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Her eyes watered and cheeks hurt from laughing as he fussed over her newfound robes, pinkies fully extended, wrists dramatically bent. He'd listened as she talked, laughed at her jokes and gave her advice for her next year. Who knew he could be so…real? It'd been a great day, until they passed a rather secluded ally-way, where they saw Draco harassing a pretty young girl who was close to tears. Fury had boiled within her as she watched him sneer and mock her before pushing himself against her, forcing her to kiss him. Before she could react, George ran over and pulled him back, punching him in the face and throwing him on the ground. 

"What the HELL do you think you're doing?" He shouted, as Hermione caught the girl from falling, tears pouring down her face. 

"None of your business, Weasley…" Draco replied, wiping the blood from his nose. The girl let out a sob and buried herself in Hermione's shoulder. Looking closer, she realized it was Amethyst, a Slytherin fifth year. She was…a chaser for the team? She shook her head, unable to remember. Looking up, she saw Draco backing up as George said…something to him in a low voice, his eyes flashing dangerously. Trying to act like he didn't care, the Slytherin stepped past him and quickly left the ally, robes billowing behind him. 

"Bloody bastard—" George muttered as he leaned down to pick up the girl's bags and parcels. Standing, she weakly took them and, head down, whispered a quiet "Thank you," before running meekly out to the main road. Shaking her head, Hermione looked up to see him standing directly in front of her, staring intensely into her eyes, face full of concern. 

"I…I…" she stammered, shaking from the entire scene. George pulled her close and hugged her tightly. She buried her head in his shoulder and tried to catch her breath, shocked at what had just happened. And HE was supposed to be Head Boy. There was no way in HELL she was going to share a dorm with him after this… Almost as though reading her thoughts, he stroked her hair and whispered, 

"Don't worry…Dumbledore wouldn't put you in that position. He sees through Malfoy's act and wouldn't put you in harm's way…" They stayed like that for a moment, until Hermione pulled back and wiped her eyes. He was right, Dumbledore wasn't stupid. She took a deep breath and tried to smile. Realizing she was ready to go, he picked up her bags again and followed her out of the ally, hoping he was right about his old headmaster. 

Naturally, she had to tell Harry and Ron what had happened—though she left out the end bit; what would they think? What was SHE supposed to think? 

Kalea and Ginny continued chatting happily about different guys, oblivious to her silence. No matter—she needed to think. What the hell did she want? She was with Viktor, but hadn't heard from him in days—and there'd been that weird article about him in the Prophet. She wasn't feeling connected to him anymore…if she ever did. Kalea was right about George—he _was _handsome and funny and sweet. She would never have thought him a possibility, but today she'd seen a different side of him and was curious to know more. Ron…well, he was Ron. Love of her life since second year…right? Or was it just some infatuation that had finally run its course? She shook her head, so confused. Either way, she knew she couldn't keep this up. She had to do _something_. She was leading her so-called boyfriend on, if he even noticed, and was struggling with her feelings concerning two brothers. Frustration building, her heart pounding in her ears, she blurted out, 

"I have to break up with Viktor!" The girls stopped laughing, shocked at her sudden statement. 

"Wha…what?" Ginny asked, unsure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. 

"I…I have to break up with Viktor," Hermione repeated, embarrassed she'd said it out loud. "I just…we're not connecting anymore, I never hear from him. And there was that article in the Prophet…I just don't think it can work anymore…" she continued, looking away from the blank faces of her roommates. 

"Hermione, I'm sorry…" Kalea said softly, getting up to close the door. 

"It's...it's ok. It's just time, you know?" New resolve rushed through her and she felt strengthened having made a decision. "I'll go to his house tomorrow—it's only fair of me to do it in person, right?" They nodded, glad she'd finally come to her senses. After talking a bit more about it, and about what she would say, the three girls changed into their pajamas, climbed under their blankets and began planning their next prank.

*****

**a/n: **There you have it… not really an on the edge of your seat, hold onto your hat cliffhanger, but it'll do, eh? We'll find out what George was doing in the girls' room in the next chapter, I promise! Hehe… Anyway, a million thank-yous, chocolate chip cookies and hugs to all my reviewers—especially Leha and Caitlin (pottyboutweasley) whose reviews made my day!! Hehe, send along any ideas you have, alright? Now review! 


	10. Crashing Down

**Disclaimer:** I don't own JKR's stuff and am making no money off of this.

**A/N:** This chapter is dedicated to my favorite reviewer, Leha, for her many, many reviews. I hope you enjoy! ) I realize it's been several months since I've updated, and for that, I deeply apologize. I've been going insane with college and all this stuff, and had really hit a wall with this chapter. But I've finally finished it (its long, eh?!) and hope to be updating more frequently from now on—especially now that I've gotten this bit out of the way. Several things in this chapter refer back to things that happened in other chapters, so if you don't remember what happened, it might be good to go back and reread some of it…especially the last two. Have fun!

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 

A shrill shriek pierced the air, jolting Hermione out of her sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up to see Kalea in a tank top and knickers, standing by the dresser, a look of shock and confusion on her face. Following her gaze, Hermione turned to see a pair of low rise jeans duck behind the bedside table. Rolling over, she fell back on her pillow and pulled the covers over her head. Really—all that fuss when it was just a pair of trousers running about. Tsk.

……

A pair of trousers running about?!?

Hermione's eyes flew open and she jumped up, throwing her covers to the floor. Kalea still stood by her dresser, wand in hand, frantically trying to hex her run away clothes.

"WHAT is going on?!?!?" She asked, ducking a ricochet spell. The ministry wouldn't be happy about this…

"Does it look like I know?!" Kalea cried before shouting, "STUPEFY!" The jeans threw themselves on the floor, rolling out of the way. "All I did was take a shower and start to get dressed when they shook out of my hands and took off!" Right then, the door opened and a mop of messy black hair peeped through.

"What the…???" Harry asked, a shocked look on his face—he didn't know which to be more shocked at—the run away trousers or Kalea in her knickers and Hermione in a silky camisole, shooting spells at them. At the sound of his voice, the girls looked up and, seeing The Boy Who Lived become The Boy Who Saw Us Half Naked, screamed at him to get out.

Hastily retreating, he toppled into Ron.

"What's goin on in there??"

"Don't ask, mate, just run!"

Hermione grabbed her wand and, raising her eyebrow, aimed at the elusive bootcuts and yelled, "Congeliarmas!" Immediately they fell limply to the ground. With a sigh of relief, she turned to Kalea.

"What was that all about??"

"I…have…no…idea…" she breathed, falling back against the dresser. "All I did was grab them and try to put them on…"

"Wait….where did you grab them from?" Hermione asked, looking up.

"From the closet….you know, that _is_ where people generally keep their clothes…"

A sly smile spread across her face. "From the _closet_…….,"

Kalea watched in confusion as her friend flung open the drawers of the dresser and began tossing various articles of clothing on the bed. After collecting a substantial pile, she turned and began trying each one on. A yellow shirt went on—then was discarded. Next, a purple sweater…also discarded. A blue shirt, a black cardigan, a green…wait, what was this??? As Hermione pulled the green blouse over her head, it began to wriggle until it squirmed out of her grasp. Before she could get it back, it dove to the floor and disappeared behind the dresser.

"Hmm…" she mused, picking up another black sweater. It also wrenched itself free and dropped to the floor. "Exactly what I thought…" she grinned, as it slid across the floor, under the bed.

"Alright, Hermione, WHAT did you think?? What's going on??" Kalea asked, exasperated. The brunette smiled, satisfied, and began to recount George's sudden appearance and strange behaviour in their room the morning before.

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 

"It's about time you girls came down…I was wondering when we'd be able to get out of here…" Fred commented, lounging on the sofa as the girls came down the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah…well it takes time to look _this _good, so no complaining." Kalea winked, settling herself on his lap.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione asked, "Have you guys seen Ginny anywhere?? I haven't seen her all morning…"

"Nah…I think she said something about wanting to go for a run or something earlier this morning, but I dunno where she'd have gone. She's been exercising like a fiend, that one… disappears for a few hours every day, it seems… dunno what she's aiming for, she's already slim…" he answered, brow furrowing in thought.

"Oh well…I guess I'll just have to find her later then. I'm going to go find some tea…" she smiled and quickly stepped out of the room before she got the chance to see them snogging yet again. Honestly, if those two didn't fight soon, they'd all go mad with lovey-dovey sugar overload…

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 

Panting, heart pounding, Ginny hopped lightly over the creek and ran down the worn forest path. It had been at least a week since she'd run, and she could feel herself getting fatter with each minute that went by. She'd just gotten to where she felt she was under control, and now she had to go and let loose for a week and throw herself off pace again. It was so hard to stay fit; even missing a day threw her energy a little. Besides, it was great to finally be alone again, to be able to think and just be herself. Not that she was being fake with everyone else....it just seems as though there's some sort of added freedom in complete solitude that cannot be reached any other way. It was refreshing.

So she was prefect again. That was nice. It was expected, of course, but it was still always nice to receive confirmation of the appreciation of one's hard work. Hermione was head girl…haha, one again, very much expected, but so great! She couldn't think of anyone she'd rather have as head girl; sure, Hermione could be a pain about rules sometimes, but she'd really loosened up through the years—especially now that Kalea was rubbing off on her.

Ah, Kalea…hahaha, that girl. She'd been really afraid her American friend would try to steal Harry away, but alas… Lord knows why, but she chose Fred instead. Which was fine, they're a good match, she decided, but it was still a rather odd choice. In any case, it was going to be an exciting year with her around, there was no doubt about that.

Coming to the top of the hill, Ginny slowed to enjoy the view. The sun shone merrily on the quiet town, reflecting off the windows of the many quaint houses. Each with its own well kept English garden, she longed to see what the insides looked like, what it was like to live in such a small, nice town. Smiling, she jogged down the path towards the town.

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 

Hermione poked her head into the kitchen and, seeing a steaming pot of water on the stove, grabbed a cup and began to make herself tea. There was something so very soothing about tea…she wasn't sure what it was, but for some reason, it reminded her of her mother…she sighed.

Sitting down at the counter, she glanced out the window. Today's the day…the day she'd break up with Viktor. She could hardly believe it had finally come to this—but how else could it be? It wasn't fair to either of them the way things were going right now. Not only could she not figure out how she felt, but apparently something sketchy was going on from his end as well. She still didn't believe the Daily Prophet's article altogether, but it seemed to have stemmed from _something _or other. They wouldn't just pull something like that out of the air, would they? Still, it was a sad thing. It always is when relationships end, she mused. Things always start out so wonderfully—elation and butterflies, grins and sweet smiles…but somehow it seemed like those always went out, like the flickering flame of a candle. Viktor _had_ been a great boyfriend… Her mind drifted back to when he asked her out…the fresh, stormy night he'd asked her to be his girlfriend… _He'd been gone all day, attending Quidditch meetings and a press conference. She'd been invited to join him, but preferred to stay reading at the side of the pool. Just as evening set in, it began to rain. Soon lightning flashed through the sky, hail knocking against the Krum family's manor windows. He'd been late…she sat by the fire, expecting him to Floo in at any moment. Suddenly, in the distance, she heard her name being called. Straining to hear over the storm, she heard a faint "Herm-own-ninny!" Racing to the window, she was shocked to see him standing outside, in the rain. Completely soaked, he waved up at her, a sopping wet bouquet of roses in his hands. She rushed outside, ignoring the rain, and threw herself into his arms. _

_"What are you doing out here?? Why didn't you Floo in??"_

_He smiled sheepishly and replied, "I vanted to do something romantic…but then it started to rain…" He handed her the dripping roses. She looked from the roses to him to the rain and began laughing. Confused, Viktor asked, "Why are you laughing?"_

_"Nothing is the way I read it would be… no knight in shining armour, no candlelight dinner or fireworks…" _

_Eyes wide, he began frantically chattering, "I can do that! I didn't know vat you would vant, I'm sorry, I can—" He silenced at the sudden meeting of his lips and Hermione's. She wrapped her arms around his neck and quickly, but gently, kissed him…an effective means of quieting his doubts. _

_Pulling away, she whispered, "So what does this mean, then?"_

_"It means…Herm-own-ninny, vill you be my girlfriend?"_

She sighed as her thoughts flitted to the Triwizard Tournament when she first met him… the stupidity of the other girls surrounding him, the way he stalked her in the library to ask her to the Yule ball…She sighed. That had all been great, but…their relationship really had no where else to go from this point. They never saw each other, rarely wrote… She was beginning to dream about other blokes and, being famous and able to get any girl he wanted, she was sure it was frustrating for him to feel tied down. Assuming, that is, that he really was as honest and faithful as she believed….no, of course he was! Anyway, it didn't matter anymore. She sighed, resting her head in her hands. It's not that she regretted anything, but she couldn't help but feel sad at the loss of what had been an important part of her life. Hm. _Had been._ Past tense. With a wry smile Hermione closed her eyes and imagined what she would say. _Viktor, I just don't love you the same way… Viktor, it's time we went our separate ways…_ no, all cliché… _Viktor, don't you want something more? _What the hell was that supposed to mean? No way… _Viktor…_

"Hermione?" Ron's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. She looked up, surprised to see him standing right over her, tiny shimmering snitches fluttering all over his Quidditch boxers, his hair sticking up in all directions.

"Yeah?" she replied, trying to shake herself out of her contemplation.

"Are you ok?" He sat down next to her, his deep blue eyes looking concernedly into her face.

"Um, yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Why??" She lowered her eyes under his gaze.

"You just seemed really…I don't know. You were just staring off into space…and I had to say your name twice before you answered. Are you sure you're ok?" he smiled gently, putting his hand on hers.

"Yeh, I'm fine…" she swallowed. Flushed, she stammered, "I…uh…I gotta go."

"Ok…see you later…then…" Ron answered as she retreated up the stairs and out of sight. Alone again, she leaned against the wall and sighed. She had to talk to Viktor today. Now, before she lost her nerve… She ran to her room and grabbed a sweater from her trunk (it's always cooler in Bulgaria) and wrote a quick note telling Ginny where she'd gone. Heart pounding, she hopped downstairs, striding quickly past the 'distracted' couple in the living room. She grabbed tossed a handful of floo powder on the fire and, taking a deep breath, stepped into the emerald flames.

"Oy, was that Hermione??" Kalea's head shot up and she looked around, confused.

"Was what Hermione?" Fred asked, his words muffled as his lips trailed up her neck.

"Ne-Never mind…" She breathed, before surrendering to his wordless plea.

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 

"Ginny! What are you doing here, I didn't expect to see you until Christmas again—I thought you'd already gone off to that boarding school of yours… where is it again? Switzerland?" The woman called out as Ginny approached.

"Ms. Joan, how are you?" she smiled and helped her stand from her gardening. "School doesn't start for another four days, yet. Besides, how could I leave without saying goodbye to you?" The woman's gray eyes twinkled, framed by gently wrinkled sun-spent skin.

"Whenever my family moved, we had to leave in the dark of night, without telling anyone where we were going. We simply disappeared…" she shook her head and hobbled toward the small farmhouse. Its paint was slowly peeling and cracks were forming in the walls there the ivy had encroached. A rich vine of wine and scarlet hanneva flowers framed her small doorway. "No one liked us Gypsies…thought we were some kind of witch people, always ran us out of their towns…" laughing, she continued, "They think WE were crazy! Can you imagine? Witch people? _That's_ crazy." Behind her, Ginny wordlessly grinned.

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 

Lightning cracked across the sky, dark clouds rolling ominously over the horizon. Hermione pulled her jumper close as she jogged toward the mansion, hoping to beat the rain. Finally, just as it was starting to rain, she reached up and grabbed the antique door knocker and pounded it against the elegantly aged wood. No answer. She turned the knob and poked her head into the foyer, the creaking of the door echoing in the silence.

Suddenly a deep voice floated down the stairs—"Who's there?"

Immediately she recognized it as Viktor's voice, and followed it upstairs to the library. She found him sitting on a giant plush chair, reading in front of the fire. He looked up to see her standing in the doorway, her hair slightly damp from the coming storm. She was wearing her favorite black turtleneck—she looked beautiful, almost ethereal in the firelight, but even that couldn't mask the troubled look in her eyes.

"Hi." She stated quietly, and sat down next to him.

"Herm-own-ninny! Vat are you doing here??" Her heart wrenched as he gave her a big lopsided grin.

"I…well, I wanted to talk to you." She swallowed nervously, unsure of how to start.

"Vats the matter? You look sad—did you….oh." He fell silent, realization dawning. "You don't believe it, do you? You don't believe everything you read…do you?"

"No, I don't believe it, Viktor, but it does make me wonder… but I'm not here to accuse you. I…well, I've been thinking…and…" she looked into the dancing flames.

"And….you don't vant to be my girlfriend anymore." He finished quietly. Slightly taken aback, she tried to explain.

"It's not that I've stopped liking you, or that anything's changed…but…but everything's changed, and we don't talk anymore, and, and—" she stammered, trying to pull herself together. "Well, you have all the most beautiful women at your disposal, you could have any of them—you shouldn't have to be stuck with me."

"But I don't vant all the most beautiful vimen… I vant you." He looked deeply at her, his eyes pleading. "Please, don't do this."

"Viktor…" her voice cracked. She'd been hoping he'd be happy, relieved… and while sure, it was great to be loved and needed, she knew she couldn't stay with him, but the thought of breaking his heart tormented her.

"Don't. I can see it in your eyes. You don't vant to hurt me, but you vant something else." He sighed deeply and, after a minute, continued, "I love you, Herm-own-ninny, and I vant you to be happy… even if that means you're happy vith someone else."

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing—he was practically breaking up with himself! Her stomach felt cold—how could she do this to him? Sure, he was rough around the edges, but she'd gotten to know him better than that—he was strong, sweet and obviously caring. What was she thinking?? Why had she come here?? She couldn't—she must have been crazy to think—no, this was going to stop. She couldn't bear to break up with him.

"Viktor," she started, her voice clear again.

"Herm-own-ninny," he interrupted, "I hope that vatever you vant makes you very happy. I vill miss you. Goodnight." He finished, pain evident in his voice, and abruptly, he stood and walked out, leaving Hermione to cry alone in the library.

> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > 

_The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update! _


	11. King's Cross

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, yeah, you know it. Not mine.

**A/N: **A shorter chapter for yah, but an important one… )

> > > > > > > > > > > > > 

The last few days of break flew by in a blur and it wasn't long before the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and Kalea found themselves at Platform 9¾.

"Seventh year," Hermione sighed, looking at the train.

"I didn't think we'd make it," Harry mused.

"This is our last time to leave for Hogwarts, our last year really together…" she continued sadly.

"I know, I can't wait to blow this joint!" Ron grinned, clapping her on the back. Rolling her eyes, she turned around and left.

"What's with her?"

"You tell me," Harry replied. "And, 'blow this joint'?? Where'd you get that one?"

"It's American, mate—you know, it means 'get out of here', 'move on'… and knowing my dearest twin brothers, we could probably give that phrase a more literal meaning as well."

Harry laughed and said nothing, content to simply watch the first years nervously board the train. There was one group of particularly interesting girls, all seeming absolutely terrified by something or other in a rather suspicious and familiar looking box… not surprisingly, Lee Jordan's prodigy, Jeremy Frens, was crouching behind some trunks nearby, getting ready to jump out at them.

A flash of red appeared in the corner of his eye, and Harry turned to find himself face to face with Ginny.

"Hey," he grinned. "Where've you been?"

"Oh, around. I found Jessica, Taylor and Charlotte already, so I'm happy. What have you been up to? Just standing here?" she replied, putting her arm around his waist.

"Yeah, pretty much. I just keep thinking how sad it is that, after this year, we won't be coming back anymore."

"Don't talk like that—maybe we'll get lucky and you'll fail or something, and have to do the year over again…" she looked into his eyes and smiled.

"Yeah, because _that'd_ look good on my transcript for Auror training," he smirked before bending down to give her a light peck on the lips.

"Look at that!" an all too familiar voice drawled in front of them. "Weaslette's finally got herself a body—but, awww, what a pity, she's wasting it on Potter!" Draco spat to Goyle. After Crabbe died in the final battle against Voldemort, Goyle stuck closer than ever to his idol's side.

"Shut—" Harry began before he was silenced by Ginny. She winked at him, turned around and slowly strode towards Malfoy, hips swaying subtly and suggestively. Grateful she'd worn her hip hugging black jeans and favorite emerald green halter top, she approached him and smiled. Running her tongue over her lips, she looked him over, head to toe and back, finally stopping at his stormy silver eyes.

"You seem to have filled out nicely over the summer yourself, _Draco_…" she whispered and smiled coyly, leaning towards him. Harry couldn't believe his eyes—what was she playing at?? Secretly surprised at this display, Draco smugly put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Watching as Harry turned redder and redder, he brought his lips to her neck and barely grazed her soft, supple skin before whispering something in her ear. Ginny's eyes flashed angrily, but she hid it with a quiet giggle before turning to whisper back. The two were almost completely embraced when suddenly her knee flew straight up into Draco's groin. Completely caught off guard, he flew backwards and landed sprawled on the ground in front of her, face red as fiery pain shot through his body.

"Awww, did the Slytherin prince just get his teeny tiny balls shoved into his throat? By a girl?" she bent over him. "Listen, Ferret, you're right. I _have_ 'gotten a body' over the summer, and you know what? It's too good for the likes of _you_. If you harass me one more time, I swear, you WILL regret the moment you were born. GOT IT?" she glowered. Satisfied by his stunned silence, she spun around, slid her arm around Harry and walked away with him, not looking back once.

> > > > > > > > > > > > > 

Kalea looked at her reflection in the ornate mirror above the sink in the girls' toilet. Fred had had to leave a few minutes ago, their goodbye leaving her hair a bit tousled. She reddened a little as she thought back over the past few weeks—they really hadn't been as slick and secretive as they'd hoped, had they? She laughed, remembering Ginny's face when she'd walked in on them in the kitchen. Well in any case, it would be good to get away for a while and just chill…she'd miss him, but she needed some snog-free time to take everything in. She sighed and, stuffing her brush into her bag, went back outside. Harry and Ginny were standing together, saying something to Ron...but he seemed completely oblivious. They were laughing hysterically and he just stood there kind of stupidly… then she noticed he was glaring at something, or some_one_….She followed his gaze…_Oh. _Hermione was standing against the worn brick wall, George leaning (?!?) beside her, talking and laughing. Of course… Kalea smirked evilly to herself. Finally, _something_ was going to happen! Competition spurns jealousy, jealousy spurns action…he was thickheaded alright, but at least now he seemed to be clueing in. This would be an interesting year… Staring into space, she began to imagine all sorts of amusing situations involving the two—being unexpectedly locked in random places together, being paired up for projects—something was tickling her shoulder. Absentmindedly, she waved it off, a grin spreading over her face as she devised one particularly wicked scheme. Only when the tickling turned into a sudden, sharp jab was she shaken out of her reverie.

"What?!" she asked irritably, turning towards the source of her frustration. A beautiful Asian girl looking about her same age stood in front of her, purple eyes sparkling with laughter.

"Sorry—you just…" she snickered, "You dropped this in the loo—I've been chasing you ever since you left, calling you 'miss' and tapping you on the shoulder… only when I actually poked you did you even slow down!" she continued, handing Kalea her sparkly blue hairbrush.

A little embarrassed, Kalea grinned at the slender girl, "It must have fallen out of my bag…Thanks."

"No problem," she replied, brushing a strand of her long silky black hair behind her ear.

"And I'm sorry for snapping at you, too—I was…well, I was distracted…"

"I noticed…but don't worry about it—there's a lot to look at when you're new," she laughed. "I'm Amber, by the way."

"I'm Kalea," she smiled back. "It's that obvious that I'm new, huh?" When Amber just nodded and laughed, she continued, "Actually I wasn't really looking around so much as plotting evilness for a couple of friends of mine that are in denial over being in love with each other."

"Ooooh, evil matchmaking?? I love it! Who are they?" Amber's eyes lit up.

"Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger," came the reply as Kalea pointed them out.

"Wow, you're aiming high—those two have been denying their smittenness ever since they got here—_nothing's _been able to get through to them!"

"You mean you know them??"

"Well, from a distance. Aside from Hermione being the only non-Ravenclaw female to dominate every class, except divination, and aside from the fact that they're both best friends of the infamous Harry Potter…Ron dated one of my housemates for a while. We've had a house pool going for a couple years now on whether or not they'll ever admit to liking each other, and if so, when, but so far, no luck." She shrugged.

"You have a BET? Hah! That's hilarious!! Put me down for two…galleons, right?... for two galleons that they'll admit it and be together by the end of this term!"

"Two GALLEONS? You're obviously American, I'll grant you that, and you're new to our currency, but do you realize how much two galleons is??" Amber looked at her, eyes wide with surprise.

"Alright, alright, keep your shorts on. Two galleons _is_ a lot, but I have my ways…" Still seeing the incredulous look on her new friend's face, she added, "But you can make that one, instead, if you really want to. Do you wanna come meet them up close and in person really quick?" Shaking her head at Kalea's insane gamble, Amber grabbed her things and followed her.

Ginny looked up, mildly surprised when Kalea approached with Amber. She recognized her as one of Jessica's friends, but didn't really know her that well. She looked nice enough, anyway, and if Kalea had already befriended her, then she was probably fine. She couldn't help but notice that Harry seemed to check her out, though… the nerve, right in front of her! Not that she could blame him—the girl had to have some veela in her or something—there was just something unreal about the beauty of her presence. Though her looks were impressive—she was tan, had a black shimmering hair cascading almost to her waist, beautiful purple (definitely a sign of veela, she mused) Chinese eyes, and huge, pouty lips to die for—it was something more than just that. She seemed to carry a sense of intelligence, grace and even confidence with every step she took. She was breathtaking.

"Guys, this is Amber. Amber, this is Harry, Ginny and Ron." Sensitive to Harry's shyness about what he represented, she resisted the urge to look at his scar and simply smiled as she said hello.

"Where's Hermione?" Kalea asked, a twinge of amusement in her voice. Ron's face darkened, causing Amber to snort. Trying to cover it up with a coughing fit, she turned slightly, so he wouldn't see her laughing.

"Amber, are you ok?" Harry asked, concerned. Before she could answer, a shrill whistle sounded, telling everyone to get on the train.

Relieved, Amber took advantage of the moment and quickly said, "Alright, well I'd better hurry up and get everything on board early so I don't nearly kill someone in the process—but maybe I'll meet up with you again once we're on our way! It was great meeting you; I can't wait to see what house you're put in. Anyway, see you later…" she smiled again and, steadying her owl's cage, grabbed hold of her trolley and headed for the train. Kalea smiled after her and cast a glance in Hermione's direction only to see that both she and George had disappeared, leaving all her things alone by the wall. Oh well, she shrugged before awkwardly picking up her own things and following Harry and Ginny to the baggage car.

> > > > > > > > > > > > > 

"Hermione, can I…can I talk to you for a second?" George asked, glancing over his shoulder. He'd seen the look he was getting from Ron and didn't want to do this in front of him. He might be his little brother, but Ron could still be very physical, and he didn't want to see that happen—at least not until they got the chance to really sit and talk everything out. Anyway, that would come later. He looked back at Hermione as she leaned against the wall. "Please?"

Slightly confused, Hermione gave him an uncertain smile and replied, "Sure…" George grinned and, taking both her hands in his, led her around the corner toward the seemingly ancient wishing fountain and sat her down on its edge. Sitting next to her, he shifted a bit awkwardly and took a deep breath.

"I know you've been through a lot this summer—especially these past two weeks—but I want you to know that I care about you, and am always here for you. Anytime you want to talk or hang out, or just get away from Hogwarts, my doors are always open." He looked deeply into her almond eyes and smiled before reaching into his pocket. To her surprise, he pulled out a tiny shimmering box. "I got you a little going away present…" George blushed. Her heart began to beat faster and faster—what was this?!? Slowly, he opened the box, revealing a small sapphire and diamond coloured crystal dragonfly on a delicate silver chain. She gasped—it was gorgeous! Seeing the look on her face, he grinned and gently clasped the necklace around her neck. His own heart pounding as well, he leaned forward and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek. "I hope you have a great, great year," he sighed, brushing her hair off her face. Just then, the train's whistle shrieked, making both of them jump.

"George…" she started, though she really didn't know what to say.

"Go on, you're gonna miss the train!" He laughed, giving her a warm hug.

"Thank you—it's amazing—I love it," she breathed before looking up at him. "I will call—I'm sure there'll be a few times when I'll just need to get away."

Even though he didn't really know what she meant by 'calling'—maybe she'd yell or something?—his heart soared. Stepping back, he let her pass and followed her around the corner to help her with her things.

> > > > > > > > > > > > > 

Ginny's eyes fluttered as she fell asleep, curled up by the window. Ron and Harry took turns at Exploding Snap; Kalea had disappeared all together.

"I can't believe she can sleep through all that noise," Hermione commented, looking up from her reading. Across from her, Ginny snored lightly, warmed by the sunlight.

"Yeh, well, when you live in my house, you get used to random explosions. If we weren't heavy sleepers, we'd never get any rest at all with Fred and George there. It's a good thing they're moving out, soon…" Ron answered as his winning hand once again incinerated Harry's losing one.

"They're moving out?" Harry asked, sticking his slightly burned fingers in his mouth.

"Yeh. They had this awful row with Mum about it and she let them have it—she loves them and all, but said that if they're gonna continue experimenting and selling their joke stuff, they had to move out as soon as they got enough money. They're taking a flat somewhere in October—gonna share it until they have enough to each have their own, I guess."

_Moving out_. So that's what George had meant, Hermione mused, absently reaching up and touching the crystal dragonfly that now hung around her neck. If only she could have had more time to—time!! Merlin!! She'd almost forgotten—was she late?!?

"What time is it??" she cried, making both boys jump.

"What?! It's ten 'till noon, why?" Harry answered, slightly afraid of her.

"Crap!!" Hermione jumped up and dashed out of the room, barely managing to close the door behind her. Both boys sat agape, staring after her for a second, before Ron ventured to ask, "Did she just say 'crap'?"

As she ran down the narrow corridor, Hermione managed to hurriedly put on her robes over her plain clothes. Once she got those on, she was forced to slow slightly so she could pin on her head girl badge and catch her breath before going in. Almost to the compartment, she glanced to her right and was surprised to see Kalea sitting with what looked to be a bunch of Ravenclaws. That's…interesting, she thought as she quickly pulled her hair into a loose braid. Taking a deep breath, she strode forward and pushed open the door to the prefect compartment to find herself face to face with the new Head Boy.

> > > > > > > > > > > > > 

_Review!_


	12. Beginnings and Banana Slugs

**Disclaimer: **blah blah blah, not mine, blah blah blah.

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"Ah good, I was wondering when you'd get here," Blaise said, an amused smile tugging at his lips at the sight of her shocked face.

"Blaise?" Hermione asked, not sure if she should be relieved.

"Milady," he bowed low. She opened her mouth to ask about Draco, but the door opened, the first of the new prefects stepping into the room. Blaise quickly shot her a look that clearly said _'later'_ before turning to greet the Hufflepuff. It didn't take long for the room to fill, and soon enough all had arrived except for Ron. Ginny seemed to have woken up enough to get herself there, but wasn't offering very interesting conversation. No matter though, the Slytherin prefect never paused for her input, Hermione noticed with annoyance. Blaise shot her an almost nervous smile and turned to face the prefects.

"Well a couple of you have been prefects before," he began. Suddenly the door banged open and Ron fell awkwardly inside.

"Ah, there you are—we were just starting," Blaise commented amiably, motioning for Ron to sit down. Was he actually being nice to a Gryffindor? Instead of sitting, though, Ron stood, agape.

"BLAISE? What the bloody hell are you doing as Head Boy?" he asked in a loud voice.

"Apparently Dumbledore thought I was suited for the position, I guess," he responded. He nodded to Hermione and she, glaring at Ron to sit down, continued the prefects' introduction to the new year.

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Harry sat in the compartment alone, staring out the window. This was the first train ride to Hogwarts in which he hadn't felt worried or scared about Voldemort or what he had in store for them. It had all been so…terrifying, really, last year—the attack was subtle, secret—not dramatic with death eaters blowing in and trying to take over the castle. Instead, the Dark Lord managed to, over a number of months, replace most of the Hogwarts staff and faculty with Death Eaters under Polyjuice potion. No one even noticed the change until students started disappearing from student/teacher meetings. Harry shuddered, remembering the night Ginny hadn't come back from her appointment with McGonnagal. Anyway, all of that was over now—this year would be the best yet. He and his friends were safe, he had a beautiful girlfriend and prospects of going to the best Auror Training School in Europe. At last, he sighed, closing his eyes, he could finally be _normal_.

"Potter!" barked the deep drawling voice, shaking him out of his light doze. He opened his eyes to see Malfoy standing above him, sneering, wand in hand.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" He asked irritably.

"You shouldn't speak so disrespectfully to your superiors, fool." Draco sneered. "In fact, you shouldn't speak at all without permission." Now angry, Harry stood, but before he could grab his wand, lightning pain seared through his body. The familiar high pitched laughter was drowned out only by Harry's screams as he felt his insides twisting and ripping apart. Finally, the curse was stopped, leaving him flat on the ground, out of breath and face to face with Malfoy's shoes. Breathing heavily, the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, he turned so he could see Draco's face. Harry's heart stopped as he realized—recognized—there was a terrible, familiar glint in the slytherin's red, slitted eyes. Their eyes met and with a jolt, Harry was thrown out of his nightmare, scar throbbing.

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Their meeting over, the prefects filed out of the car, chattering excitedly about the announcements and upcoming events of the next term. Finally, when all of them had left (Ron had to be pushed out before he made more of an idiot out of himself), Hermione turned to Blaise.

"How did you become Head Boy?" she asked, eyes narrowed. "You weren't even Slytherin prefect!"

"Disappointed? I suppose you were expecting Draco, eh?" he replied, gathering some left over papers off the floor.

"Leave Malfoy out of this—I just…I don't understand,"

"Ah, finally, a problem the bookworm can't solve. That'll drive you mad, that one will," he smiled, his dark brown eyes twinkling.

"Stop smiling at me!"

"Why?" she'd gotten his attention now—he stood and faced her, a perplexed look on his face.

"Because! You're Slytherin, you don't smile unless someone is in pain!" Hermione spat, frustrated. Blaise's eyes darkened.

"Well, you're in pain, aren't you? Because you can't figure out why I'm Head Boy?" he retorted. "Look, if we're going to have to share the Head quarters and be in this together this year, I'd kindly appreciate it if you kept your prejudices to yourself, whether they're generally true or not. I think you'll find as time goes on that I'm not like some of the more…cruel members of my house. Now, if you'll excuse me…" he nodded curtly, stepped around her, and out the door. Hermione stood in the doorway, watching him stalk away. Why had she lost control like that? He was right—she shouldn't have been so judgmental, she should go apologize—but he'd disappeared. _Great start_, she sighed. Oh well, at least she didn't have to share a place with Malfoy. Feeling slightly better at this thought, she stepped out of the car and went to find Harry and Ron.

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The train began to slow and soon enough, Hogsmeade was in view. Kalea glanced out the window as the town lights flew past, the only evidence that there was anything there at all. Then she jumped up from her seat and began to pull on her robes, hands shaking in spite of herself.

"Stupid—ridiculous—thing…" she muttered as she missed the button hole for the third time. Honestly, why was she so nervous all the sudden?

"Need help?" Ginny asked, trying not to smile.

"Shut up, you," she scowled, turning away from her and trying one more time. Not able to take it any more, Ginny walked over and helped her with the last few buttons.

"Thanks…" she smiled. "I don't know what's wrong with me—I never, EVER get nervous….but right now I feel like a first year or something!"

"Don't worry about it," Ginny replied. "Have you been sitting in here with Luna this whole time?" she asked, nodding her head at the sleeping form by the window.

"Oh, is that what her name is? Yeah, I've been here—just needed some time to think." Kalea glanced around the otherwise empty compartment and stuffed her things back into her bag. "Let's go find the others," she said, stepping past Ginny and leading the way down the corridor.

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"Harry, are you sure it was just a dream?" Hermione asked, brow furrowed with concern.

"Look, what else could it have been? Voldemort is dead," Harry replied, beginning to regret telling them about his nightmare. "It must have just been a flashback or something. The last battle is not one we can just sort of forget, you know."

"But…but you said your scar hurt when you woke up—and that only ever happened when Voldemort was feeling a strong emotion of some kind, right? I mean, he shouldn't be feeling any emotions if he's DEAD…unless there's an afterlife and….Harry!" Ron stopped, mouth open. "D'you reckon your scar's reacting to Voldemort's feelings in HELL?" he finished slowly, eyes wide.

"Ron, honestly, don't be so stupid." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows there's no such thing as Hell… haven't you read Lockhart's book, _The Day I Died and Turned Into a Banana Slug_?"

"You're not reading his rubbish still, are you?" Ron asked, incredulously.

"How would you know if it's rubbish or not? You've never read it!"

"I don't have to read it to know—its LOCKHART, remember? The one who stole stories from other witches and wizards and passed them off as his own?"

"No it's not, it's his brother's! Tommy took up the business after Gilderoy's accident, remember? Don't you know anything about the literary world?" she snapped.

"I know enough to say that I won't become a banana slug when I die!"

"How do you know?"

"Well how do YOU know there isn't a HELL?" he shouted back, face red.

Harry sighed and stepped into the corridor, closing the door behind him. Oh well, at least they weren't badgering him about his dream, anymore. They were now standing on opposite benches, shouting at each other at the top of their lungs about absolutely nothing—things were getting back to normal. Still, he couldn't help but feel like he was back in fifth year again, trying to interpret every dream and stray thought that crossed his mind. But how was this possible, Voldemort was DEAD! Harry'd dealt the final blow himself, watched as the great and mighty wizard was smote upon the cold stone floor. Sure, it might be a hard battle to forget, but this was no flashback. He could feel it…something was really, very wrong.

"…Hello?"

Harry snapped back to reality, realizing there was a hand waving in front of his face. Looking around, he was surprised to see Ginny and Kalea standing in front of him.

"How long have you two been there?" he asked, blinking.

"Long enough to know you were in your own little world…What are they fighting about now?" Kalea asked.

"Banana slugs."

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The Great Hall was decorated beautifully, as always. The ceiling reflected the sparkling sky, and hundreds of candles glittered above the tables, giving the room a soft, warm glow. The Sorting Hat had finished its song and had just finished putting Dacker, Steven into Hufflepuff when Hermione felt a gentle kick. She looked across the table at Harry and Ginny, who were having fork fights…then to her right, at Seamus, who was dozing off. Figuring she'd just daydreamed it, she turned back to the platform where Garrison, Christa sat with the hat on her head. Just as the hat shouted "Ravenclaw," she felt it again…a tiny, gentle tap on her ankle. This time she looked across the table on the other side of Harry and found Ron looking straight at her.

"What?" she mouthed.

"Nothing…" he grinned slyly. Her heart skipped—what was he playing at? They looked at each other for a few minutes, Hermione trying to read his eyes. Suddenly, the name Mitchell, Kalea rang out across the Hall and her attention snapped back to the platform where McGonnagal stood.

"It is a great honor that we have an international exchange student this year, from the esteemed Atlanta School of Sorcery in America. Kalea Mitchell, please step forward to be sorted." Kalea jumped at the sound of her own name and stepped as smoothly as she could towards the old stool. She sat down and McGonnagal placed the old hat on her head. Harry and Ginny dropped their forks as they, Ron and Hermione all waited with baited breath. The few seconds seemed an eternity before the hat cried out with all its might,

"SLYTHERIN!"

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_K, this is the final rewrite of this chapter. Sorry the first version sucked so much, dunno what I was thinking when I wrote it, lol. Thanks to Caitlin for telling me honestly! Hon, you rock, please, seriously don't apologize for being candid and always always give me your opinion—it's extremely helpful! xxxxxx_


	13. The Feast

**Disclaimer:** Yeah. I'm still broke. It's not mine. The idea, the characters (except Kalea), the copyrights, the movies and allllll the money are hers. Not mine. I get it. Thanks for rubbing it in. P

**A/N:** _STOP! If you haven't gone back and reread chapter 12, do so now! I rewrote a huge portion of it, cos it sucked. A lot. It's much better now, I promise. ) Anyway, read that first. Then continue with this. Enjoy!_

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Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron sat in silence, completely dumbstruck. Kalea had been put in Slytherin? But…but…what about… Each of them watched in horror as she stepped lightly from the platform and made her way to the Slytherin table, where a place had been cleared for her to sit. Ron felt the heat rise in his face as he watched Malfoy lean in and say something to her before turning and winking at him.

"That can't be right—Slytherin is for dark witches and wizards, not people like Kalea!" he said, banging his hand on the table and turning around.

Hermione, remembering her conversation with Blaise on the train, replied quietly, "Ron, just because that's the trend doesn't mean that's the rule… Slytherin is for students who are cunning and ambitious, and very intelligent—"

"Makes you wonder how goons like Crabbe and Goyle ever got in," Harry cut her off, watching Goyle shoveling whole meat pies into his mouth like they were muffins.

"Oh, I'm sure there's some great intelligence in there, somewhere…" she continued, following Harry's eyes.

"Yeah, right in there next to the six helpings of mashed potatoes he just ate." Ginny snorted, dishing some pasta onto her own plate. Everyone laughed and began helping themselves to the feast.

A good while later, after the plates had been cleared and desserts were being finished off, Hermione turned to Ron. "What's the matter? You hardly touched your food all night, and now you're passing up your favourite desserts as well?"

"Uhrm…" he glanced over his shoulder at Kalea, who seemed to be having a time ignoring Pansy Parkinson's yapping.

"Ron?" she asked again.

"What? What? I didn't…uhm…sorry, I didn't hear you." He answered, turning around quickly, ears red.

"I asked if you were ok…"

"Uhh, yeah. Yeah, of course. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine? I'm completely fine. Really. Fine. I've never been finer. Why?" He stammered. Before Hermione could reply, Dumbledore's voice echoed across the hall.

"Well, now that you've all had your fill, it's time for some announcements. First off, I would like to introduce to you your Head Boy and Girl for this year. Blaise, Hermione, would you please stand where you are?" His eyes twinkled in their typical Dumbledore way as everyone applauded politely. _Yes, this will be an interesting year…_ he thought, watching Hermione and Blaise sit back down.

"Every year, as you all know," he continued, once the noise had died down, "I tell you that the Forbidden Forest is exactly that—_forbidden_ without the accompaniment of a professor or staff member. This year, however, due to some unfortunate circumstances involving the centaurs, even that will not be allowed. No one, student, teacher or staff member is to go within three meters of the forest's perimeter. Anyone who disregards this will suffer the consequences of their actions, for their safety in the forest is no longer something I can guarantee."

"He guaranteed it before?" Harry muttered to Ron, remembering the numerous times they'd been injured in the forest.

"Next, I would like to introduce you to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher—" he continued.

"But…but the chair's empty, there isn't anyone sitting there—who's he hired now, the invisible man?" Dean Thomas whispered down the table, perplexed.

"…Who's the invisible man?" Ron whispered back, intrigued.

"SShhh, I can't hear!" Ginny said before turning back to the platform.

"This year, our Defense of the Dark Arts position has been graciously filled by our dear Professor Snape." Dumbledore clapped politely as a hush fell over the student body.

"SNAPE? Snape is our DADA professor?" Neville stuttered, going very pale.

"Relax, Neville—remember we're all in NEWTS classes now—if you're going into Herbology, you won't even need DADA this year." Hermione patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"But…but I'm _not_ going into Herbology! I thought…I…I thought I could…."

"What are you going into, then?" Harry asked.

"Will the Head Boy and Head Girl please come speak with me for a moment? The rest of you are dismissed; sleep soundly." Dumbledore smiled, knowing there would be little real sleeping done that night.

"See you later, then…" Hermione nodded to the others and headed towards the platform.

"As you know, you two will be sharing the Head chambers this year. I trust there will not be any problems with this?" Dumbledore asked as Blaise approached.

"No sir, no problems at all." Blaise stated, Hermione nodding in agreement.

"Good. In that case, Professor McGonnagal will escort you to your chambers. Goodnight." With that, he turned and swept out of the room. McGonnagal appeared promptly in front of them and, with the smallest hint of a smile, nodded at them to follow her.

The majority of the students, by this time, had gone off in their four separate directions. McGonnagal walked briskly ahead of the pair, stepping smoothly around the few stragglers making their way to their house chambers. Crossing a hall down which the Hufflepuffs were disappearing, it occurred to Hermione that she had absolutely no idea where they were going. She had long suspected the Head Boy and Girl to live in a distant tower or something, but considering how many steps they seemed to be going down, that couldn't possibly be the case. Unlike the dark and cold halls by the Slytherin house, however, these halls were warm and cozy, with brightly lit torches crackling merrily along the walls. Great woven tapestries hung on either side of them, and every now and then, a beautiful marble statue would appear out of the darkness. Finally, just as Hermione was giving up hope ever finding her way out, McGonnagal stopped.

"Now, the password is _sophia_, the Greek word for Wisdom, with which, I trust, you will serve as Head Boy and Head Girl. This is an immense privilege, one you have both worked very hard to achieve. Dumbledore, the staff and myself have great confidence that you both will rise to the occasion for which you were chosen."

Blaise and Hermione looked at each other, unsure of how to respond to this short speech. After a moment of slightly awkward silence, McGonnagal turned to a particularly beautiful black and silver tapestry and said, "Sophia." With that, the floor began to sink beneath them. Hermione watched, fascinated, as the steps rose up past their heads, and an opening appeared at their feet, slowly rising as they continued to descend. This sort of entrance seemed mildly familiar…she couldn't place it, but…ah, yes. She had gone with her father and Mr. Weasley last Christmas holiday to the Ministry of Magic for some sort of registration—it was the muggle entrance this reminded her of. What was it? A telephone booth, right—sank right into the ground. Suddenly the floor shuddered to a stop and they found themselves face to face with a large, blue door, some seven feet under the corridor floor. Obviously ancient, the door was covered with a number of elaborate carvings, all seeming to depict some sort of underwater scene. Before Hermione could make out what any of the inscriptions were, McGonnagal opened the door and led them inside.

"Bloody…" Blaise trailed off, speechless. Eyes wide, Hermione gazed around the large common room. Books in elaborate black shelves lined the walls, from floor to ceiling. On both sides was a tall staircase, which met in the middle as a sort of balcony, overlooking the rest of the room. Enormous windows covered the walls, opening the room to sparkling, dancing light like she'd never seen before. A large, ornately decorated, circular fireplace sat directly in the middle of the room, surrounded by large plushy couches. There was a wide assortment of potted plants and growing things, making the room seem wild and lush. The mahogany writing desk in the corner even seemed to have ivy growing up its sides…but the thing Hermione couldn't understand was the _lighting_. The entire room was flooded with a pale blue-green glow, and light rays danced on the walls. Looking out the windows again—surely they were enchanted—Hermione's jaw dropped. A large, crimson spotted fish just swam by. Scrunching her eyes shut and opening them again, she heard McGonnagal say, "This is your shared common room. Head chambers are located at the bottom of the south tower and are, therefore, under the surface of the lake. The door at the top of the stairs to the left is yours, Mr. Zabini. Miss Granger, your room is at the top of the stairs to the right. Your bathroom is in the back left corner, over there," she motioned toward another blue door behind the stairs. "As for everything else, well, you'll figure it out. Goodnight." With a swish of her robes, she turned around and left, closing the door behind her.

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"Do you think Hermione will be alright? She's always lived in the Gryffindor dormitory, with all of her friends, and now she's suddenly off somewhere else in the castle, by herself…Worse, with that Slytherin, Blaise…" Ginny trailed off, a dark look in her eyes.

"Yeah, well," Harry said, dealing out Exploding Snap cards, "I think she'll enjoy being away from all the noise and mess—she'll be able to get her homework done in peace, finally."

"But…but how are _we_ going to do _our _homework now, without her help?" Ron asked.

"You mean, how are you going to do it without her to copy from?" Ginny corrected, eyebrow raised.

"Hey guys—what are you doing? Can I play too?" Colin sat down, squeezing in between Harry and Ginny and grabbing a handful of cards which promptly blew up in his face.

"Colin—" Ron laughed, licking his fingertips and putting out the flame on the boy's eyebrows, "If you keep that up, you can play anytime."

Soon enough, Dennis and Pete (the youngest of the Creevey three) appeared to join the game as well. After five minutes of their incessant chattering about Harry's brilliance in the final battle between Slytherin and Gryffindor on the Quidditch pitch last term, Harry stood. "Well, I'm just about tired out—you all are too good for me to keep up. I'm going to go talk to the Fat Lady for a second, and then I'm going to bed. Goodnight, all." With a meaningful look at Ginny, he stood and stepped outside the portrait hole. Though he hadn't really intended to speak to the Fat Lady at all, he _was_ surprised to see that she was not in her painting. Before he could really look around to find her, though, the portrait swung open again, and Ginny stepped out.

"Sorry—I just couldn't take much more of 'And then Harry this,' and 'No, no, this is better—THEN Harry that…'" He smiled at her, ruffling her hair. "Though I did rather enjoy the retelling of Draco's magnificent fall from his broom." At that, she laughed and looked up into his dark green eyes.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Fine, I'm fine. How are you?" he answered, pulling her into a tight hug. "Have I mentioned today how beautiful you are?"

"No…" she smiled, breathing in his warm, woodsy smell.

He tilted her chin up towards him and looked down into her face, completely serious. "Well, in that case…" he frowned.

"What?"

"You look gorgeous. Too gorgeous. I don't know if it should be allowed. Yeah, so I battled Voldemort, but it appears I'll have to fight much harder to keep the guys off your back this year."

"Isn't that Ron's job? Besides, it's not them being on my _back_ that should worry you."

He laughed and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Come on—let's go to the kitchens or something."

"Shouldn't we take your invisibility cloak?"

"Nah—Filch is probably still on that doctor-ordered vacation he went on," he laughed, taking her hand and leading her down the stairs. The castle seemed cooler than usual, Harry noted, their footsteps echoing down the empty halls. Still, it felt good to be home—especially without all the murder plots and evil villains breathing down his neck. That dream, though… that dream was… He looked up to find himself in a dark, empty classroom, Ginny smiling wickedly.

"What are we doing in here?" he asked, though the look in her eyes clearly answered him.

"Oh…I dunno…I think we got a little lost on our way to the kitchens," she replied innocently, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"That's…that's too bad…" he leaned down and kissed her softly. He pulled her closer, feeling her heart beat against his chest. She opened her mouth slightly, begging entrance. He complied and, running his fingers through her hair, tasted her luscious lips and sweet mouth. Ginny smiled to herself—he was so strong, but yet so soft and gentle…she had just hoisted herself onto a desk when, suddenly, the lights turned on. Blinking and quickly pulling apart, they turned to see Professor Snape standing in the doorway, a particularly disgusted look on his face.

"Potter—Weasley," he spat.

"Pr…professor…" Ginny stammered, going completely red.

"No. I don't want to hear it. Twenty-five points from each of you for disgusting me with your display, and two nights of detention for irresponsibly wandering the castle in the middle of the night. And that's only because I'm in a good mood!" he glared at them and turned back into the hall, disappearing into the darkness.

"That was him in a good mood?" Harry asked, incredulously.

"Sure, didn't you see that great big smile?"

The two kissed one last time and, snickering, headed back to their chambers.

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There you have it. I hope you're happy! Hehehe. Anyway… sorry to keep you waiting so long for this one! PLEASE review if you want me to keep at it!


	14. Nightmares, Dreams and Healing Things

**_Disclaimer_**_: Blah blah blah, copyrighted, not mine, etc, etc. You know the drill._

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She stood in a dark room, surrounded. She turned—the hooded figures were coming from every direction, wands out. She couldn't get away—she was screaming, crying…they came closer. He couldn't break through their ranks, there were just too many of them. She was shouting his name, begging for mercy—he pushed and stunned and ran, but he couldn't get to her. It was cold, so cold, and the smell of blood overwhelmed him—he sank to his knees, her shrieks piercing his heart, her screams lighting his bones on fire. He couldn't…he…he couldn't… he put his hands over his ears and fell back onto the icy stone floor. Suddenly, the room lit up with a flash of green and all was quiet. He was too late.

Ron awoke with a start, cold and shaking. Harry and Dean were standing over him, wands in hand, looking concerned.

"Ron—are you ok?" Harry asked. Ron looked up at him blankly, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Dean nodded and went back to bed, while Harry sat down next to his red-headed friend. "What's up? You were twisting and moaning…bad dream?"

"Yeah—" Ron swallowed. "Just a…just a bad dream. It's no big deal."

"About Kalea?"

"What?" He looked up at Harry, stomach going cold.

"Never mind; it just…sounded like you were saying her name, or something. Goodnight, then." Shrugging, he stood and went back to bed. Ron pulled his hangings closed and took a deep, shaky breath. Determined to put his dream behind him, he resolved to think of the one thing that always brought him comfort. Her sweet, soft skin, beautiful, long hair…those eyes…but he'd let her down…he couldn't let her down, she needed him… Turning over, he fell into a fitful sleep.

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"Gooood morning," smiled Hermione, joining her friends at the Gryffindor house table.

"Good…morning…you're awfully cheery so early…?" Ginny replied, watching as Hermione poured herself some orange juice.

"I know…I slept so soundly, it was excellent. I almost suspect the bed of being enchanted—I'd hardly lain down, and I was fast asleep." She began to pile her plate with bacon and pieces of fruit. The truth was that, for the first time in a week, she hadn't dreamed about Viktor. No, last night's dream was…different…she smiled to herself, fingering the dragonfly pendant that hung on her neck.

"What is this? Double Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts in one day?" Ron tossed his schedule onto the table, a look of complete misery on his face.

"Snape's not particularly happy about the arrangement either, from the looks of it," Ginny commented, nodding towards the staff table, where their greasy professor seemed about to be sick.

"Double Defense Against the Dark Arts, and double Potions," Harry read. "At least we have fewer classes again, this year. I wouldn't fancy being one of those—" he nodded toward the fifth years, "With O.W.L.S. coming up and all…"

Hermione had finally stopped humming and was now looking at him, completely shocked. "But Harry, this year is even _more_ important—we have N.E.W.T.S! They determine whether or not we'll succeed in our chosen career paths, whether we'll be able to follow our dreams or not…"

"Right, right, I know—but at least now we'll only be tested on the subjects in our area. They'll have to take a History of Magic exam, as well as Muggle studies or Divination," he continued.

"In any case, this is still—well except for first term, fifth year—the worst Monday I've ever seen."

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Kalea sat in the back of the room, trying to keep her eyes open. Professor Sprout had decided that today's lesson plan would be better served by lecturing in the greenhouse classroom, instead of doing anything hands-on. "The reason for this," she had explained, "is that you are all in your final year here at Hogwarts, with about half of you preparing to become Healers. It is essential, therefore, that you not only understand the practice, but the theory behind the things that we do. We wouldn't want to see you accidentally poison someone because you thought it would be faster to simply pull Tarantra leaves, rather than cut them with a sharp silver blade." For the past hour, she'd stood at the front of the classroom, reviewing every property of every single plant growing in the eight Hogwarts greenhouses. The classroom was just fading into darkness when suddenly a sharp jab in the middle of her back caused Kalea to jump and scratch her leg on the corner of the desk. Swearing loudly, she rubbed the sore spot and looked up. Several students and Professor Sprout were all staring at her, quite shocked.

"Miss Mitchell, are you quite alright?" she asked, concerned.

"Ye…Yes Ma'am, I'm fine. I apologize…I dropped my…my book." Kalea stammered, feeling her face grow red.

"Alright, then. As I was saying…"

"Sorry—" a muffled whisper came from behind her. "It's just…you were falling asleep and were starting to snore…"

"Thanks…uhm…"

"Neville, my name's Neville. You're the American exchange student, aren't you?"

"Yeah, my name's Kalea. What—"

"Miss Mitchell, did you have some thoughts on the effects of Gillyweed you were wanting to share with the class?"

"No, ma'am."

"Then kindly pay attention."

Kalea glanced behind her and winked at the slightly round-faced guy behind her, mouthing the word _later_. Turning back around, she smiled to herself. Maybe Hogwarts will be ok, after all, she thought. Just maybe. She did miss Fred, though. She'd gotten an owl from him that morning—they were able to move into their new flat, directly above their store space, earlier than expected, and had started producing mass amounts of their products. They were expected to officially open on location in two to three weeks, he'd said, and things were looking up. Their friend Lee was designing their signs and labels and, aside from Molly still being quite angry with them for pursuing 'such a useless thing,' everything was going according to plan. She sighed, wondering what kind of competition she'd have...after all, a young, handsome, _rich_ inventor would surely be sought after by all sorts… and Merlin knows, he's only human. But he loves me, she sighed. And I….I…like him a lot. Still, she couldn't bring herself to say she loved him. She didn't know why, or what was stopping her, but for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to say it. The chemistry between them was undeniable; it sparked into mad flames every time they were near each other… but was that love? Then again, did it need to be love? After all, they were both young. No need to settle anything right now, Kalea decided. They had plenty of time… Class was dismissed and she, still immersed in thought, followed the group back to the castle.

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Hermione sighed as she sank into the bath. Like the prefect's bathroom by the statue of Boris the Bewildered, the Head bathroom had a pool-sized bathtub with an assortment of jeweled taps around the edge. Even better, though, was the Jacuzzi on the far side, facing the windows. Great giant blue bubbles floated merrily through the air while giant streams of white fizz gushed into the small, hot paradise where she sat, looking out the windows. That dream truly had been something to smile about. Closing her eyes, she could remember everything vividly…his red hair, adorable smile… the freckles that went _all_ the way down… he kissed her like she'd never been kissed before—passionately, like he'd die without her. Oh, and how she'd surely die if he ever stopped doing _that_…Merlin, there were benefits to falling for older, more experienced guys…they actually knew what they were doing, for one…

"Can I join you?" Blaise asked, his deep voice startling her.

"Sure…" she jumped, heart racing from her daydream. She smiled, looking up at him in his metallic green swim trunks, glad she also had decided to wear something, too. As much as she hated to admit it, Kalea's bikini _did_ look good on her, so she'd asked to borrow it indefinitely. "Absolutely," Kalea'd answered without hesitating, a mischievous glint in her eye. It had taken Hermione nearly an hour to figure out how to tie and untie the silvery slivers of material, but she'd finally gotten it down so that nothing hung out, exposed, unless she wanted it to.

"How was your first day?" she asked, watching as he sank slowly into the mercifully hot water.

"It was…good," he winced as he eased himself back against the massaging jet stream.

"Sore?"

"Yeah…I had to break up a fight between a couple of Gryffindors and a couple of Slytherins earlier. Both parties still got a few good swings in, though—most of which hit _me_. Then we had a preliminary Quidditch run—just making some checks on who's still here this term and willing to fly. I outflew pretty much everything, except for one bludger and, well…" he paused, turning so she could see the massive red and purple welt on his back, "It only takes one."

"Blaise, did you go to Madam Pomfrey?"

"Of course not—it's not like a battle wound or anything, I'll be fine. I just need to…lay here and…relax." He slowly eased back down, onto his sore back. Hermione put her feet up on the edge and looked out the windows into the silvery blue waters of the lake.

"You have nice feet," Blaise commented. Not sure she heard right, Hermione cocked her head. "What?"

"Your feet—you have nice feet. They're very delicate and pretty."

Completely weirded out, she sat there, silent for a minute before responding a half-hearted "…thanks." Nice feet? What did he mean, nice feet? Sure, the pedicure looked great, and all, but…nice feet? What kind of guy says 'hey, you have nice feet!'? Now that she thought about it, he _was_ a fairly good dresser… and, not that she'd been looking, really, but his hands and nails looked taken care of. Had he ever had a girlfriend? There was that one…well, no…that was a rumor….no. No. It couldn't be. She glanced over at him, floating in the bubbly hot water, eyes closed and resting. His strong arms, developed muscles…. It couldn't be. Blaise? All that mocha skinned, chiseled hotness…….gay!

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"You're both idiots. I don't care what he said or did, but you're 17, for Merlin's sake! You should know better than to let him rile you like that! Especially you, Harry! You dealt with the Dark Lord himself, and you still allow stupid school boys to get to you!" Ginny exclaimed, standing at the foot of their hospital beds.

"Ginny, please, you're starting to sound like Mum… and I have _such_ a headache…" Ron whined, putting his pillow over his face and quickly regretting it. He put his hands up to his broken nose and cut lip, hoping upon hope that there was a way they could get out of their without going through any of Madam Pomfrey's magical concoctions.

"Well maybe I wouldn't HAVE to, if you didn't act like such a CHILD all the time! Next time you get beat into a pulp, don't expect me to come running to your side! Just lay there, in the floor, all broken and bloody—if you're going to get yourself into such a mess, you can get yourself out again!"

"Gin, honey, seriously—headaches and pain…everywhere…" Harry groaned.

"Alright! You don't want me here? I'll leave! Since I'm SUCH a PAIN, I'll just GO!" she replied shrilly, starting to wake the other patients in the medical ward.

"Potter, can't you keep a lid on your little girlfriend?" Draco spat from the other side of the room. "I feel sick enough as it is, without having to listen to her yapping…"

Ron and Harry both pushed up from their beds, swearing, murderous glares in their eyes.

"Harry, Ron, sit down! Don't even think about letting him get to you! I SAID LAY DOWN, POTTER!" Turning to Draco, she smiled sweetly. "You should be used to, what was it you said? Right. Yapping. You should be used to yapping by now, Malfoy…after all, your little pug slut's a complete dog, isn't she?"

"Since both of you are too busy acting like children to listen to me, I'm not going to waste any more time on you. Goodnight." With that, she turned swiftly out into the hall, slamming the door powerfully behind her.

"What's wrong with her? _We're_ the ones all bloodied up and in the hospital wing…" Ron sniffed, gingerly trying to reposition himself so as to take the pressure off the piercing sting hex still paining his arse.

"Dunno….but Ron…" Harry answered, voice muffled by the sheets he'd pulled over his face.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up!"

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**_A/N_**_: Read. Review. Then, maybe, I'll think about writing more. )_


	15. An Unsettling Encounter

_Disclaimer: Not mine._

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The rest of the week went smoothly by—well, as smoothly as possible, considering a majority of the students now had Snape for two classes. House points fluctuated almost hourly, and the younger students could be seen breaking into tears over their homework much more frequently. So far, Harry and Ron had been able to keep their tempers and not give into the professor's cruel remarks, but the same could not be said for everyone.

It had been a particularly tedious double Defense Against the Dark Arts period, in which the class was divided into pairs, practicing the _Obstruere_ spell—a powerful blocking charm particularly effective against the _Culter Vulnerare_ curse they'd been studying.

"Come on, you can do it—" Hermione ran over to catch her partner as he'd yet again been hit by her Jelly legs hex. "You just have to concentrate on forming the sphere around you and you'll be fine. Come on, hex me, I'll show you." She backed up, facing him. "Go."

Still wobbling a bit, he pointed his wand at her. Before he could finish his hex, she had erected a shimmery blue sphere around herself. He looked from her concentrated face to the sphere, off of which his spell bounced before hitting the wall, leaving a small burn mark.

"Get it?" she asked, the sphere collapsing with a flick of her wand.

"Yeah—I...I think so," he mumbled, watching as others around the room successfully erected similar shields.

"Alright, we can do this. Remember how well you did in the D.A. back in fifth year? You _can_ do this. Just think about what you have to do. Are you ready?"

"Ready." He took a breath and got into position, focusing with all his might. _Obstruere, obstruere_…a wisp of tangy orange began to form at the tip of his wand, spreading out in front of him. _I'm doing it, _he thought gleefully as he vaguely heard her hex him. _I can do this…_ He thought, feeling the pressure of the spell on his half-formed shield. Before he could bounce it off, though, he dropped his wand and the shield crumpled around him…what was left of the hex hit him square in the face, knocking him flat on his back.

"Neville! You almost had it, you were so close—" Hermione ran over and pulled him up, saying the counterjinx. "Come on, just a few more times and you'll have it!"

"If this were the real thing, boy, you wouldn't have _a few more times_. You'd either have it, or not. The _Culter Vulnerare_ curse is not one to toy with… underestimate it, and you'll get yourself killed. Not sudden or painless, like _Avada Kedavra_, no…" Snape began, almost relishing the thought. "First it affects the chest—slashes deep into your skin, splitting you open, down to bare muscle. Then it spreads, all over the body, until your skin is so slit that you're hardly recognizable. The only reason it's not one of the three illegal curses is because the Ministry doesn't believe anyone in our day and age uses it anymore. After the torture practices in the 13th century had been abolished, it was assumed the curse was lost…but the Ministry is wrong. It's incompetent students like YOU," he continued, rounding on Neville, "who keep the Dark Arts under a light of fear, rather than one of respect. Like a dangerous animal, they must be studied, examined, understood, but never touched…and FOOLS like yourself who can't even complete a simple shielding charm will get themselves killed in the process!"

"I'm…I'm doing the best I can, sir…" Neville trembled.

"Yes, I'm sure." Snape sneered. "But Longbottom, as I would have expected you to have learned from your parents, trying your best just isn't good enough." Neville turned white with rage, tears brimming in his eyes.

Something inside Hermione snapped. "HOW DARE YOU INSULT HIS PARENTS LIKE THAT? AFTER THE SACRIFICE THEY MADE FOR THE WIZARDING POPULATION, HOW **DARE** YOU EVEN _THINK_ YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY _ANYTHING_ ABOUT THEM?"

"Miss Granger," Snape replied icily. "If you are going to defy me, at least check your facts, first. Otherwise, please refrain from such naïve outbursts in my classroom. Remember, unlike you, I was there when the Longbottoms gave their so-called _sacrifice,_ and there was nothing heroic about it. They were merely two ignorant, arrogant fools who got in the way of the Dark Lord. It was their own stupidity that led to their insanity, not some marvelous, sacrificial act as _some_ may have you believe."

Before Hermione could react, Neville turned and hurled his fist with all his might at Snape's jaw. The two connected and, almost as if in slow motion, the professor wheeled around and crashed to the floor with a deafening thud. The room was completely silent, all waiting for the Head Girl to say something. Instead, she stood there, staring wordlessly, at the scene before her. Neville eased himself down to the ground, cradling his fist, still shaking. He looked up at her, slightly ashamed, but not at all remorseful; how was she supposed to handle this? People couldn't go around punching their teachers…on the other hand, after what he said… She blinked, realizing everyone watching her.

"Uh—" she began. Professor Snape was thoroughly unconscious, but other than that, unhurt…though he'd be a little sore from his fall. The damage done was only to his ego—which was more than fair for what he'd done to Neville through the years—and his respect, which was negligible anyway. She put her hand out to help the student back up.

"Neville, you can't just punch your professor…" she began.

"Hermione—" Harry and Ron both approached, ready to defend his actions. She held up her hand and continued. "Therefore, I am forced to take five points from Gryffindor…and dismiss this class." Everyone laughed and happily began gathering their things, making sure to give Snape a few 'friendly' kicks on their way out the door.

It didn't take long for the news of what had happened that day to spread. Soon, almost every student stopped by to congratulate Neville or shake his hand for doing what they'd all dreamed of. Even Dumbledore, when approached by a livid Snape, merely replied, "Professor, the matter has already been dealt with in a manner deemed appropriate by our Head Students."

The only person who seemed completely unaffected by the event was Kalea.

"What's been with her lately, anyway?" Ron asked, sitting down to dinner one evening. "We've hardly seen her since she was sorted…"

"It's not for a lack of trying, though…" Ginny mused. "I've chased after her more than once, on the way to class…but she hasn't answered me."

"Every Potions class we have with Slytherin, she's there—but always on the far side of the room with that black haired girl." Harry agreed.

"Reckon we're gonna have to corner her?" Ron suggested.

"From the looks of it, that'll be more difficult than we suspected…" Ginny nodded towards the door to the Great Hall, where Kalea stood, surrounded by Draco and his croons. She didn't seem to upset, however, as she sat down, laughing and talking with the Slytherin prince. The whole scene made Ginny want to hurl. There was definitely something up—there was no way Kalea would sell out to the bunch of arrogant, pig-headed jerks!

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Another week went past and soon enough, it was Quidditch season. Harry had been offered the captain's position, but after all those years of trying to stay _out_ of the limelight, he decided against it.

"But Harry, you're a natural leader!" Ginny whined. Still, Harry didn't feel it was right…especially since that would put him in a position of seniority over Ron. Merlin knows their friendship didn't need to go through any more of that… so the Captainship, instead, went to a smart, sixth year chaser named Caleb.

The team met in the changing room early Saturday morning to assess the damage last year's graduation had done. The sandy-haired captain stood at the front of the room, pacing, while the rest of the members arrived. After a few minutes he looked up.

"Is this everyone?" he asked.

"Pretty much," Ron replied. "Everyone who's left, anyway."

"Well, we have a lot of work to do. First off, positions that need filling," he picked up a small red notebook from the bench and opened it to the first page. "Chasers? Myself,"

"And me." Ginny stated, sitting down. "Sorry I'm late."

"Seeker?"

"Me." Harry said.

"Beaters?" No answer. "Alright, we need two beaters. Keeper?"

"Me." Ron smirked. "Guess that's all of us."

Shaking his head, Caleb began writing and marking all over the page. "Alright, we need one chaser and two beaters. Tryouts will be held next Saturday, a week from today. In the meantime, I want each of you out and flying for an hour every couple of days, getting back into shape for the year. That's it, you're dismissed." With a small nod, he turned and walked out the door towards the pitch.

"That was Caleb? I've never seen him so serious before…" Ginny remarked as they stood to go. "In fact, I've never seen him serious _at all_…well, except for when he's drawing…"

"Yeah, he was really business-like in there," Ron agreed.

"Quidditch is just something he takes very seriously, I guess. Come on, let's go do something." Harry smiled. "You're it!" He whacked Ron on the back of the head and took off running.

"What did you do that for?" Ron yelled after him.

"Ron, remember? It's that Muggle game, you're supposed to go after him! Hurry up, he's getting away!" Ginny pushed her brother up the steps as realization dawned on him and he raced after his friend. She continued to saunter slowly up the steps, pondering what to do next…she snickered as she heard a distant crash and the unmistakable laughs of Harry and Ron followed by Filch's shrill and angry yells.

"Weaslette," a deep voice sounded from the dimly lit hall where she stood.

"Malfoy," she responded, trying not to let on how he'd startled her.

"Think you're smart, do you, tempting me the way you did at King's Cross?" he stepped out from behind a corner, the flickering torch casting a pale light on his strong frame.

Suddenly realizing they were quite alone and wondering how she'd gotten here, she stopped. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"Only what you so blatantly offered me, whore." He responded quietly, eyeing her long, lithe form. Her red Quidditch robes hung open, revealing her tight jeans and low-cut black t-shirt, marked with a scarlet Chinese dragon. Her long red hair had been pulled up in a knot, but was now coming down, falling across her face and down her back in long, tantalizing layers.

"Just try it, Malfoy, and I'll hex you straight into a permanent spot at St. Mungo's."

"Will you? With what wand?" He smiled. Her heart dropped as she felt in her robes for the wand that wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" he continued, twirling it in his fingers. "Tsk, someone with your looks should really be more careful…one day you might find yourself in a bind…" With each word, he stepped closer. Seeing the look in his eyes, she glanced around wildly, willing anyone, _anyone_, to walk by. She continued stepping backward until she felt the cold stone wall against her, sending chills down her spine. Still, he came closer until she could smell the warmth of his breath and see the cruelty in his eyes. _Come on, _she thought, _pull yourself together! You have six brothers, you can handle one guy!_ She squared her shoulders and, eyes narrowed, swung her knee up as high as possible—but before she could stop him, he caught her leg and spun her to the ground.

"You're feisty, I'll give you that—but it won't take long for me to break you. You've spirit, but no endurance, cow…you couldn't fight me if you wanted to. All your life, overshadowed by your brothers—then Potter, too. No one to see how beautiful you are, how magnificent…" he trailed off, sliding his hand up and down her quivering body.

"And what, _you're_ the one who sees me?" she spat.

"I see right through you. You're tough, but only on the outside. On the inside, you're a broken, crying little girl…one that will soon learn to answer to my every call." His soft, gentle tone was utterly terrifying—he seemed so sweet, yet here she was, twisted on the ice cold floor, his strong body hovering above her. She squirmed to the left—he matched her. She squirmed to the right, and again, he was there. Hands on either side of her shaking shoulders, he looked down into her eyes. "Why are you so afraid of me, my dove? I am kind to those who love and respect me…" he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"What do YOU," she kicked him off and pulled herself up, "know about LOVE?" Sitting up now, she felt slightly better, but realized her position was still precarious. He pulled her to her feet and pinned her against the wall. Eyes a dark, steely grey, he pushed his lips onto hers, trying to force his tongue into her mouth. Looking up, she saw Peeves drifting by and willed him to look her way. He did, but before he could come up with any obscene song lyrics, he recognized her as Fred and George's sister. She motioned toward the giant vase on the other side of the hall with her eyes, then meaningfully at Draco's head. Peeves understood and, for once, complied. Just as Draco succeeded in parting her lips, she bit down on his tongue and Peeves dropped the vase on top of him. He fell back, mouth bleeding, holding the back of his head.

"Thanks, Peeves!" she breathed. Without thinking, Ginny grabbed her wand and ran down the cold corridor, away from him.

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**A/N**: Alright, this is the last update for a while. I'm off to my grandparent's house until the middle of August when I go back to school, and won't have a net connection until then. In any case, I hope you READ and REVIEW what's here and keep an eye out for some updates towards the end of next month. Oh, and happy birthday to me (19)! )


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